Once Upon A Time: The Enchanted Forest: Prologue
by YoshiSkittlez
Summary: <html><head></head>The Prologue to 'Once Upon A Time: Storybrooke: Book 1: The Curse' What happened BEFORE Regina unleashed her curse? I strongly recommend reading this story first before diving into the REAL story, as lots of questions will be answered here. (I wouldn't say no if someone offered to make me a cover image for this story haha.)</html>
1. Chapter 1: The Deal Is Struck

**Author's Note:**

**Alright so this might take a bit of getting used to in the beginning. What are all these random characters doing in Once Upon a Time? Cheshire Cat? Dr. Jekyll is a woman? What is going on? As I stated in my summary, this is an entirely new take on our favorite story, and that means new characters with their own little quirks and twists (I call it being Once-ified). I hope that this isn't TOO much to grasp onto for you all, and hope that you can enjoy the story just the same. I promise, it will get easier. I'm already working on the second chapter in this prologue, so happy reading!**

The Cat sat expectantly outside the castle of Rumpelstiltskin, his tail swishing side to side at the large, obviously unlocked door before him. He lowered his head in a threatening, 'hunting' manner as he approached the door, pushing it open with his head as he disappeared into the darkness of the castle. The main hall was just that; a long hall covered in cobwebs and dust blanketed in darkness. The rugs were scarcely more than bare threads clung together by grime and dirt. The candelabras were left unlit and dead, spider webs strung across their surface and spread awkwardly about the hall. Even the tall chandelier on the ceiling was barely hanging on by a rusted chain; most of the candles that formerly occupied it were missing or broken.

At the end of a hall and to the right in a large, empty room was a simple stool before a spinning wheel, where the castle's infamous lord, Rumpelstiltskin sat nonchalantly, doing little to pass the time seeming entranced by the spinning of the wheel, the thread coming out on the other side spiraling into a pile of gold in a small basket.

"Oh, Rumpelstiltskin, I summon thee." The Cat said in a mocking voice as he slowly appeared in front of the spinning wheel, his unsettling grin appearing first, followed by his eyes and head; then very slowly, his body and tail.

Rumpelstiltskin, better known throughout the land as 'The Dark One' didn't even as much as glance up at the sudden 'intrusion' on his home. His dead eyes were keen on the thread spinning in front of him on the wheel, his leathery green hands nimble with the delicate material before magically turning into gold at his feet.

"Here's a riddle for you: You can have me but cannot hold me; Gain me and quickly lose me. If treated with care I can be great, and if betrayed I will break. What am I?" The Cat seemed to grin wider before answering. "Trust, Imp. The answer is _trust_. Trust which you broke that night in the dungeon: trust that I depended on you for. I want another deal." The Cat growled, his voice snarly and condescending.

Rumpelstiltskin let out a high-pitched, child-like giggle. He stood from the stool in front of the spinning wheel, finally letting his eyes fall upon the feline and matched the ominous grin of the enchanted cat and squatted down on his haunches, wagging his finger back and forth in front of him in a mocking gesture.

"Ah, ah, ah dearie! I gave you exactly what you wanted! You asked for freedom from your physical bondage and emotional pain of your dearly behead-er, beloved little sister." He chided in a sing-song voice and with another amused giggle rose back up to his full height and turned his back to the cat, pacing away from him a few steps.

"You simply made a deal you didn't quite understand, it's quite common really so I wouldn't feel too bad about it." He turned to face the cat once more, though the distance between them had grown. He outstretched his arms and shrugged with exaggeration. "Oh well!"

The Cat's grin remained, yet his eyes betrayed a veiled anger that undoubtedly hid beneath the bright, blue orbs as the Imp did little but mock him. The Cat suddenly disappeared from view, appearing suddenly on the stool of Rumpelstiltskin's spinning wheel. A muscle in Rumpelstiltskin's cheek twitched seeing the black cat sitting upon his stool with such a casual notion, but was otherwise unmoved by the change.

"Though being a feline has its advantages, I miss the prospect of having opposable thumbs. I want another _dealll_." He hissed, lengthening the last word as it seemed to hiss from his mouth.

"What do you want?" Rumpelstiltskin asked turning out his hands in question, again his voice high and playful, indicating no amount of anger or frustration in his voice.

The Cat tilted his head playfully to one side as he looked directly at the short, green man.

"Rumor has it you're smarter than you look. I'm beginning to think everyone's a chronic liar..." He mocked, looking quite comfortable on Rumpelstiltskin's stool. "Do you ever listen, or just settle for hexing innocent people?" He hissed, the playful tone in his voice replaced by one of anger. "I want my humanity back..." The Cat finally said, swishing his tail from side to side.

Ignoring The Cat's snide remarks, Rumpelstiltskin approached the stool the feline had made himself comfortable on and picked up the cat as if it were a bag of vile garbage and set it down on the floor, where he then sat back down on the stool.

"I don't usually make deals with animals..." Rumpelstiltskin said crossing one leather-clad, thin leg over the other, using his gnarly green hands to hold his knee. "...however, I feel myself in a generous mood today and accept your offer."

Releasing one hand from his knee, he waved it around in a small circle out in front of him, a small swirl of powder blue smoke appearing for just a moment before disappearing, revealing a tiny vial of glimmering blue liquid being held fast in his hand.

"And in return..." Rumpelstiltskin said taking more interest in looking at the vial than at the cat he was dealing with. "...you will bring someone to me. Someone not of this world." He moved his arm and shook the vial in front of the cat slowly, almost tantalizingly. "Dr. Jekyll, you will find her in a world where there is no magic. You must convince her to return here with you, and to come see me. Do we have a deal?"

"I'll bring your pet back to you." The Cat hissed in response as he slunk back towards the still-open door. "I will come to you when I am finished." He said, beginning to fade from view.

"I know you will." Rumpelstiltskin said quietly after The Cat, pressing his fingertips together as an even broader grin spread across his face.

The Cat left the unkempt castle, feeling the cool night wind beat against his face as he exited, his tail sticking straight up in a haughty manner as he pitter-pattered down the front steps into the tall, cool grass. It had been some time since he had jumped from one world to the other, getting there and back would be difficult…most likely requiring the hat of the Mad Hatter. Disregarding this issue for a more pressing time, he lifted one paw up to feel at the heart-shaped key that rested against his chest, bound by a small ribbon that provided enough room to be a necklace without worry of it falling off him.

"Well then, no time to waste." He said to no-one in particular as he began fading away into thin air once more, starting with the edge of his tail and winding up all the way to his face, where his wide grin and eerie eyes stayed for a few extra moments before disappearing as well. He made the quick side-journey to the Mad Tea Party, an event locked perpetually in time at 6 o' clock.

After much pestering, the Cat was able to procure the hat of the Hatter, the large top hat looking humorously awkward on the Cat's head as he teleported away once again. The travel in-between worlds was hazy and dangerous, as even one wrong step could scatter himself until he was nothing but an echo. But this time, using the Hat guaranteed success. His landing was less than subtle, crashing into a metal trash can and quickly landing on his feet to hopefully recover his lost dignity. It was a good thing, however, that the hat didn't recognize him as a person and more of an animal, a simple fact that allowed The Cat to amply ignore the hat's one rule about the same number of people coming and going.

"Time to jump in time to jump through time – I'm dizzy…" He complained to himself as he began sprinting across the street looking for Dr. Jekyll. It wouldn't be too difficult to find her, as he still had his wits about him. But not being able to teleport in this strange land severely limited his movement speed, which he noted mentally with a very small, quick grimace before his mouth twisted into that unsettling grin that never left.

The people who stopped to look at him had what could only be described as surprise on their face as they saw a large black cat with a wide grin, blue eyes, and a top hat bounding down the street. His search was (fortunately) short-lived as the austere mansion of Dr. Heather Jekyll came into view in the distance. The Cat's grin seemed to widen a little as he sprinted towards the large house at a blindingly fast speed, even for a cat. Eventually stopping in front of the house, he couldn't help but _meow_, irritated that the door was locked.

Dr. Heather Jekyll paced in her laboratory once again. All of the chemicals sat either still, or boiling and bubbling from the heat of the candles underneath the glass containers. She couldn't sleep again. She was currently trying to think of another way to get rid of Evelyn Hyde. She had tried every chemical compound that wasn't poisonous and deadly to the human body that she could think of. Nothing worked to help her get rid of Hyde. She couldn't sleep with the guilt she felt from Hyde's deeds. She had trampled over a little girl, she killed Sir Danvers Carew, and now...Lanyon was dying, all because he saw Hyde switch back to herself. It was too much of a shock for Lanyon, enough to make the poor scientist bedridden sick.

In a futile attempt to make things right between her and Sir Danvers Carew, she offered to help out with his daughter where she could, even if that meant to simply read to the girl as she fell asleep for the night. One story in particular piqued the Doctors interest; a man by the name of Rumpelstiltskin that was said to be able to cross realms and give people exactly what they wanted. All Heather Jekyll wanted was to forget, and to get rid of Hyde.

She remembered how she had uttered the words to summon Rumpelstiltskin after a night of reading to the girl and in the privacy of her own home again. When nothing happened, she passed off the deed as a meaningless one made out of her own grief and possible madness.

She remained in her own laboratory; alone and away from the people she cared about in order to protect them. She heard someone knock on the door and she heard Poole's voice call "Lady Heather? I'm setting your dinner right outside of the door, as you requested,"

Heather called back "Thank you, Poole," She listened carefully for Poole's footsteps, making sure that he walked away before she could continue any more experiments, or have any more arguments with Hyde.

Prowling about the property, The Cat eventually spotted an open window that, judging by the smell, seemed to be a laboratory.

"Well, that confirms my theory." He commented with a small 'shrug' of his shoulders as he hopped on top of the windowsill, ducking his head to crawl through the open space. "Hello, Dr. Jekyll." He greeted in a civil, if not somewhat condescending tone, his tail swishing from side to side as it usually did when he was speaking to others.

Dr. Jekyll had been facing the door, letting out a silent sigh when Poole seemed to have left when a strange voice suddenly spoke. She turned towards the window and looked befuddled when she saw that it was only a cat...with a strange and startling grin on its face and wearing a humorously large top hat as well. She couldn't help but to ask Hyde silently, not even opening her mouth, not giving a single indication that she was communicating silently to another her.

_"Hyde...are you responsible for this?! Because this isn't funny,"_

Jekyll heard an immediate response from Hyde, feeling her counterpart shrug

_"Nope. Not this time!"_

Jekyll shook her head and went over to her journal and as she wrote, she spoke out loud, "Compound number R263...Symptom number 1: Hallucinations. May take some time for it to fade..."

The Cat tilted his head to the side as he jumped from the window to one of the chemistry tables, narrowly avoiding knocking down beakers and bottles in the process. "Well, I've been called many things before but never a symptom...should I take that as a compliment or insult?" He asked playfully as he got closer to her.

Heather watched the cat move across the chemistry table, causing the bottles and beakers to shake and almost fall to the ground. She couldn't help but grit her teeth in anxiety but was rendered speechless immediately when she actually saw the feline speak, unable to answer his question.

"You've been invited by Rumpelstiltskin for some kind of affair and I am your escort. I am the Cheshire Cat." He introduced himself with a subtle bow of his head while flamboyantly waving one of his paws out in front of him after realizing that she wouldn't be speaking anytime soon.

Heather snapped out of her silent stupor and she asked "Wait...so he's real then?! If he is real, then why didn't he come here himself?" It was easy to say that The Doctor was growing more and more suspicious about the situation. She wasn't sure if what she was seeing was real, or just a hallucination. She was leaning towards the latter.

"You're a scientist, Dr. Please think a _little_." The Cat insulted, his voice not losing its calm, smooth tone as he spoke.

Heather's startled facial expression melted into an unamused and serious expression. She commented to the cat as she pushed up her glasses "As a scientist, asking questions is an important part of the job. If no one's going to answer, then we'll find out for ourselves,"

"The only reason the Imp would not come himself is because he _can't_. Most powerful being in the world and he can't make a simple world jump. Folly to me." He said with a small shrug of his shoulders. "Now then, there's no time to waste." The Cat said nonchalantly as he began tapping one of the glass beakers with a single paw, eyeing it curiously. The Hatter's hat twirled around at the end of his tail where he had put it for the time being.

"Please don't do that! You'll knock it off of the table." Heather exclaimed the moment The Cheshire Cat picked up the glass beaker.

"I'm a cat; I know when to be gentle." He said in response to her warning, giving the beaker one last tap before leaving it be.

"How do you intend to get the both of us over there anyway?" With that question, she could surmise that the cat came here the same way it planned on leaving.

"This hat is a _special_ hat." He began, sounding as if he was explaining it to a young child. "It accesses a Portal of Doors, allowing us to access the fantasy world we wish to go to. All you have to do is take a leap of faith." He finished, sounding more civil as he flung the hat from the tip of his tail onto another nearby desk. He turned to look at Dr. Jekyll once more, his grin not changing as his eyes stared deep into hers.

Heather looked carefully at the cat as it spoke, and after it spoke, she asked Hyde silently, once again making sure not to give the cat any indication that she was communicating with someone in her head,

_"Well, Hyde? Is he...telling the truth?"_ As she silently asked, she breathed in through her nose discreetly, and soon enough Hyde answered with a sneer,

_"Yeah, The Cat's telling the truth. But you know...you will NEVER be rid of me Jekyll. Never!"_

Heather ignored Hyde and she said with a sigh "Hold on," She went to her journal, ripped out a page, and wrote a brief letter to her friend John Utterson telling him to change her will so that if anything happened to her, everything she owned went to her friends as she had no real family to share it with. She went over to a chair that held a cloak, her own top hat, and a cane with a heavy brass curved handle. She placed the cloak around her shoulders and her top hat on her head and held her cane. She looked to the cat before looking to the hat as she suddenly felt a gust of wind picking up…inside? She saw the top part of the hat disappear and the rim grow larger in circumference, into a gaping hole leading to who knows where. She did not doubt that this venture may lead her to death, but she did hope that it would help her find a better life later. With a deep breath, she jumped through the hole, taking that cat's 'leap of faith'.

The Cat offered little more than an approving nod as Dr. Jekyll jumped into the hat, quickly following in her stead. The hat led them to a circular-shaped room with seventeen different doors lined up around them, bordered by red curtains.

Dr. Jekyll landed on her feet, stumbling a bit but kept her balance. She looked at the doors, confused and trying to figure out which one led to the place the cat was trying to lead her towards.

"Ah, good. I can already feel my powers returning." The Cat said in an obviously relieved manner. "Before we continue on, though." He began, turning to look at her. "I have a riddle for you." Without waiting for her response, he began. "What does man love more than life? Fear more than death or mortal strife? What do the poor have, what the rich require, and what contented men desire? What does the miser spend, the spendthrift save, and all men carry to their graves?" He asked, tilting his head while waiting for her response.

Heather listened carefully, trying her hardest to not look and feel completely out of her element here. Coincidentally enough, she recalled hearing this particular riddle from one of her past dinner parties. Lanyon had given this riddle that had befuddled her in the past. She answered him, never betraying the pain of the memories she had now, "It's nothing. The answer to your riddle is nothing,"

"Right-o. That's putting your noggin to use." The Cat commended with an approving nod as he scampered towards one of the doors, pushing it open with his head. "Come now. Time is wasting." He said, his snarly attitude returning just as quickly as it had left.

Dr. Jekyll remained stoic as she followed the cat, pushing the door open for herself with her hand. She noticed how the surroundings had changed drastically in comparison to London. She also couldn't help but notice how the cat seemed to be in a sort of foul mood. Was it because of this Rumpelstiltskin that they were going to meet? She figured it would be best to ask.

"So, Cheshire. You've met Rumpelstiltskin before, is that correct? Care to tell me what he is like? I'd like to know who I'm going to be dealing with ahead of time."

The Cat seemed to stop abruptly as she asked about Rumpelstiltskin. He tensed up, his back arching subtly as if a sudden chill came over him as he turned his head towards her, offsetting his displeased body language with his grin.

"Rumpelstiltskin represents disorder and chaos. I can't tell you what he's like because I don't know." He said, reaching one paw up to feel the key around his neck, almost like a nervous tick. "But yes - I've worked with him before." He said as a final note before beginning to walk once more.

Heather didn't need Hyde's sense of smell to be able to tell that the cat lied a bit before he conceded to having worked with said man before. She followed him and asked, "All I would like to know, Cheshire, is whether this Rumpelstiltskin is reliable or not. Was he reliable when you last worked with him?"

"You're quite curious, Doctor. And that instinct might serve you well - but curiosity can land one in trouble. And you don't have nine lives." He said in an openly unfriendly tone. He wasn't willing to share his entire life story with someone he had just met five minutes ago and he certainly wouldn't tolerate her incessant questioning.

Heather muttered in response to the cat's warning about curiosity, "You do not have to tell me that," She had already gotten into trouble because of her curiosity. She then said to the cat, "Look, I'm only asking so I can make sure that I don't end up in any more trouble than I am already,"

The Cat snickered, an odd gesture for a cat. Though it sounded haughty and cruel, Heather could possibly note a bit of pity in it as well. "You act as though you can deal with Rumpelstiltskin without getting into trouble. You shall learn soon enough." He said, not bothering to look back at her. His tail, usually swishing by now was stiff as it was obvious he was remembering something...something painful.

"Your confidence is most certainly comforting, Cheshire,"

Heather then spotted a castle in the distance and she asked "That's where Rumpelstiltskin lives?"

"Yes, currently. No doubt he is awaiting us as we speak." The Cat responded in a neutral manner, sitting back on his haunches for a moment. "Whatever you do, Dr. Jekyll: Watch. Your. Words." He warned her in a completely serious tone as he continued to walk towards the castle once more. "If there's one thing Rumpelstiltskin enjoys doing aside from committing random cruelties it is manipulating people into manipulating _themselves_." He explained coolly.

Jekyll looked to the cat as he answered and gave her his warning. She committed the warning to memory, knowing that it had to be important. She immediately began trying to think of how she needed to word her wish without giving Rumpelstiltskin any loopholes he can work with. As she did, she gave her thanks to The Cheshire Cat. She looked towards the castle, and tilted her top hat forwards so the brim's shadow covered her eyes, and she mumbled under her breath, in return for the cat's warning "If you're near me and you see the slightest change...flee."

"Noted. Whatever you could possibly turn into couldn't catch me." The Cat responded confidentially, referring to his teleportation ability which Dr. Jekyll had not yet seen. Deciding to have a bit of fun, the Cat began to disappear as he walked; but not instantly, just little bits at a time. First his tail disappeared, then his paws, then his legs, his body, and then his head, in slow bits. The ears first, the necklace, whiskers, everything… until all that remained was a floating pair of eyes and that wide, unsettling grin that bobbed as if still in step.

Heather watched in awe as The Cat began to disappear in front of her. She wanted to ask how that was possible, but she knew that the cat most likely won't answer her, not like she would understand anyway. Clearly she was out of place here in this strange land. She muttered "I'm not even going to ask about that,"

Soon enough they were in front of the doors leading to Rumpelstiltskin's castle.

"I must say, I'm rather impressed..._cat_." A voice from behind the duo said upon their abrupt approach to the castle, the word 'cat' sounding more like the word was somehow poisoned as it left the tongue. Rumpelstiltskin had materialized behind them and as they turned to face him, he extended out his arms and took a deep, over-exaggerated bow with his dead eyes never leaving those of Dr. Jekyll.

Heather Jekyll was startled when a new voice appeared behind her and she whirled to face the stranger. She was almost ready to use her cane, the murder weapon used on Danvers Carew, on the stranger, but the strange man spoke once more before she could do anything.

"R-r-r-rumpelstiltskin, at your service!" He said coming out of his bow, using his tongue to roll the 'r' in his name.

Heather relaxed only slightly and sighed, trying to calm herself down and not give Hyde any excuse to come out.

"Well, well, well." The Cat commented as he quickly materialized once again into his full form. "It seems you've grown impatient, haven't you Imp? I can see that the centuries have not taught you manners." He insulted, his grin looking like one of genuine amusement as opposed to the usual intimidation it inflicted onto others.

Heather tilted her hat upwards so her blue eyes would be visible as the cat and the stranger spoke with each other.

Coming out of his bow into his full height, Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand, the blue content-filled vial materializing in his hand once more.

"Careful dearie, you wouldn't want to upset the one person that can set you free..." He taunted and then, in a sense of mockery, dropped the glass vial purposefully. The vial plummeted down, but some unseen force kept it from hitting the ground below, seeming to hover in mid-air just mere centimeters above the ground. Rumpelstiltskin let out a somewhat unsettling giggle as he watched the cat's reaction and the vial disappeared, only to reappear in his hand once more.

"Do not toy with me, Imp. I brought the girl to you. You owe me my humanity back." He hissed, his words practically dripping with venom. His blue eyes narrowed hatefully, turning the eerily amusing grin into a dark sneer. "Now let's get this over with. I'm overdue for a nap." He complained neutrally, returning to his casual, if not arrogant demeanor.

Rumpelstiltskin, for the time being, ignored the girl and squatted down onto his haunches, holding out the vial in front of him. "Here kitty-kitty." He goaded, using his free hand to wave the cat over to him, his face split into a wide, amused grin.

The Cat, though betrayed by his grin sounded utterly annoyed. "Come a little closer, I'll claw your eyes out." He remarked dryly, slowly pacing over and swiping the vial away in one fluid motion, catching it in his mouth gently as it fell. He dropped it softly to the ground in front of him. "Now, I assume our business is done here?" He asked, though it sounded more in the form of a plea.

Standing up once more, Rumpelstiltskin let out yet another giggle to the cat's threat. Even if they were more than just empty words, it would do the cat no good.

"For now, but I expect I'll be seeing you again sometime soon." Rumpelstiltskin said putting his hands together, the grin still on his face and a glimmer in his eye that gave away that he knew something that the other two didn't. "But remember!" He interjected himself. "You still owe me a favor...I haven't forgotten about the deal you made before coming to see me today."

"Yes, unfortunately. No doubt unpleasant. I'll be off now. Have fun torturing innocent souls." The Cat mocked before outright disappearing in a small orange flash that outlined his body for a split moment after his disappearance.

Heather watched the whole exchange, realizing why The Cat didn't like Rumpelstiltskin so much and that she may have made a mistake. However, there was no turning back at this point. She just needed to recall what her friend, John Utterson taught her when it came to contracts, and she knew she needed to remember Cheshire's warning and watch what she said. She also needed to make sure Hyde didn't murder this...Imp.

With a soft snicker, Rumpelstiltskin looked from where The Cat had disappeared and back to Dr. Jekyll.

"Oh don't mind him dearie, he's just a cat." He giggled and began walking towards the grand double doors that led to the entrance of his castle.

"A talking, sentient cat." Heather added dryly.

"I imagine we have business to discuss, yes?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, gesturing with his hand for her to follow him and opting to ignore her latter remark.

Heather Jekyll followed, answering him seriously, "There are questions that need to be answered first; about what you are able to do and unable to do. I already know that you can't travel between worlds."

"Yes, I'd imagine that someone from your world would be limited to the information regarding The Dark One, however, information did indeed find its way to you." Rumpelstiltskin pointed out, leading Heather from the main entrance of the castle to one of the side rooms that stood out to be some sort of dining hall. He walked to the lone stool that sat out in the corner of the room in front of the spinning wheel and ran his hand gently over the wood, seeming lost in thought for a moment before turning to look back at her.

"Yes, but that information may not be correct. For example, one of the stories about you stated that you died from ripping yourself in half. And yet...here you are!" Heather pointed out.

Rumpelstiltskin's grin fell from his face at the mention of being torn in half and his eyes glanced over to the only window in the room that wasn't covered by a dusty, nailed down curtain. "I may as well have..." He said extremely softly to himself, just barely above a whisper. Shaking his head a bit, he cleared his throat and turned back to Heather, his child-like demeanor back in the way he moved and spoke.

"There is very little that I _can't_ do dearie, but one thing that you must always remember while here in _my _world is that magic…_always_ comes at a price."

"So, hypothetically speaking, what's the price if you want to get rid of a part of yourself? I want to know before I decide." She heard Hyde shout in her mind in protest, and a headache appeared for Heather. She ignored it however, in favor of paying attention to his answer.

"Get rid of a part of yourself? That's pretty dark dearie, and that answer won't come without a heavy price..." He took a couple steps back towards her before casually walking around her in a small circle, his dead eyes kept on her entirely, seeming to size her up.

"There is something dark about you, dearie, a part of you that resists everything that is you..." He said, continuing to circle around her slowly, speaking out-loud his observations.

His circling made Heather uneasy, but remained firm-faced as he observed her out loud.

"Like a completely different person." She responded.

He stopped walking, only facing her directly now just a few feet away, his smile unwavering.

"What would you be prepared to lose to gain back what was once yours?" He asked, his tone more serious than his usual giddiness. But he continued on without waiting for her to answer. "How about...your world...?" He let those words sink in for just a few moments, watching her facial expression with keen interest. "If you agree to stay here in _my_ world, forever, and serve as my apprentice, you will find the peace you seek." He went on, going into a small giggle fit soon after as if he already knew that he had gotten exactly what it was that he wanted.

Heather's mouth dropped slightly at his request. Even though she had already made things right, made her peace, and said her goodbyes to her friends before coming here, it was still unnerving to hear outright. Of course she'd miss her friends, but at least they'd be safe from her.

She sighed and said "I am prepared to stay here and work as your apprentice."

With a half-laugh and half-giggle, Rumpelstiltskin threw up his hands in excitement, his legs slightly bending in an almost jig-like step as he closed the distance between them and extended out his hand for her to shake.

"Are you sure? It's forever dearie..." He said, though he kept his hand out firm for her to shake.

Heather could hear Evelyn scream in protest at this point, as she stretched out her hand and shook Rumpelstiltskin's answering with a serious and unwavering voice, "I'm sure,"

The imp's grin widened, revealing his rotting teeth as he shook her hand in return. "Then the deal is struck."

**Author's Note:  
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****Special thanks to my friends Ghost Shadow and Guardian Angel Haruki for the inspiration for The Cheshire Cat and Dr. Heather Jekyll. Without them I wouldn't be able to accurately bring them to life.****

**I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of the Prologue. I already have 'Book 1' written up but I wanted to get the nitty-gritty of the pre-history published first so save from any confusion since this is a very different take on the story. Also, if something is really irking you or if you spot any errors please let me know, I have no problems with admitting my faults and changing things for the better. Happy reading! The next chapter is already up!**


	2. Chapter 2: Transformation and Mistrust

**Authors Note:**

**I was a bit eager to get this chapter up. It's a bit shorter than my previous one, and depending on who you are that's either a good thing or a bad thing haha. Glad to see that I already have quite a few views for the first chapter, I'll keep punching them out so long as I know that people keep reading. Reviews would be nice, especially on your thoughts of these *new* characters I've added into the mix, but I'm not going to sit here and beg for them.**

_**Mrs. Spiderman Penguin: **_**I'll be updating as much as I can and if I keep up the pace I'm going at, the prologue will be completely finished by the end of this week and Book 1 will begin!  
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"So…When do we start the lessons?"

Heather Jekyll let go of Rumpelstiltskin's hand, breaking the handshake and rested both hands on the handle of her cane. With a wry smile, The Dark One took a step backwards from Heather, clicking his tongue with a slight shake of his head, though he was far from unimpressed.

"Now aren't we the eager one?" He mocked, however the smile on his face indicated that he wouldn't have had it any other way. "We will begin immediately, but first, I want to see what it is you're hiding from me."

Without a moment's hesitation, Rumpelstiltskin lifted a hand, his fingers closing in on one another as if grasping something in the air. Before Heather Jekyll could warn Rumpelstiltskin against the very idea of meeting Evelyn Hyde, as she was sure that was what he was talking about, there was a sudden gust of wind and Heather flew back against the receiving wall with enough force that the wind had been knocked out of her, the cane she had been gripping onto flying in the opposite direction by an unseen force. She clawed at her throat trying to get whatever was causing such an incident, but she dropped her hands down when she felt nothing was there. She knew that if she didn't do something quick, then Hyde was going to come out. Either that, or Evelyn Hyde would die with her.

Rumpelstiltskin, still with his hand raised, took a couple steps closer to her, his crooked smile never faltering. He squeezed his hand harder, feeling the Doctor's windpipe crushing against his magical grip. He only stopped walking when he was mere inches away from her, his cold, dead eyes staring straight into hers watching the life slowly getting sucked away.

"Tick-tock dearie! now would be a terrible time to hold back!" He breathed out in a soft whisper, close enough that she could feel his hot breath on her neck, all the while his eyes never leaving hers; watching...waiting for the change that he knew was coming.

Heather choked out in response "You're making a...huge mistake..." She coughed "She _will_ kill you."

Rumpelstiltskin sneered. "I doubt that."

Heather closed her own eyes as though she was getting ready to die. But when she opened them back up, they were no longer the calm blue that they once were. They were now a dark brown, almost black, eerily matching the intensity of The Dark One himself. The changes didn't stop there. Heather's dark brown hair grew out a few inches into an almost black color. Her once soft features replaced by a more angular bone structure and her nose and lips melted into sharper lines, the face of a true monster.

She smirked at Rumpelstiltskin and said menacingly and in the same childish manner Rumpelstiltskin used, "Hello...Imp!"

"There you are." Rumpelstiltskin breathed out a light laugh, appeased at his own handiwork of bringing out the monster that lay hidden underneath Dr. Jekyll and began to loosen his grip around her throat. The very moment she felt his ease off, she brought up her knee into the Imp's lower abdomen with all the strength Hyde could muster catching the Imp off-guard and sent him to the ground. She pounced on the Imp, hovering over him and grabbed Rumpelstiltskin's throat with both of her hands, choking the life out of him. Now she could feel _his_ windpipe against _her_ hands.

She taunted the imp as she tightened her grip standing over him. "You know, you really should've listened to Heather while you still had her."

Rumpelstiltskin looked straight up at the changed woman in front of him, feeling her strong hands closing on his throat tighter and tighter...and yet, he still wore a grin. Enough air was left in his windpipe to let out a slight giggle before his entire being was suddenly covered by a thick blanket of blood red smoke...and then...he was gone...but his giggle resounded throughout the empty room.

Hyde looked around the empty room as his giggle echoed and she said out loud eerily "You can run...but you can't hide from me," She couldn't help but grin at the last memory of the last victim who tried to hide from her before she found them and killed them. She inhaled through her nose, and she walked towards the right where Rumpelstiltskin's scent was the strongest. As she walked, she picked up her cane and twirled it, whistling at the thought of killing her prey.

"Nope! Not over there dearie!" Rumpelstiltskin's child-like tone sounded from behind Hyde. The cane in her hand disappeared almost immediately, only to reappear in his awaiting hand while she turned to look at him. He didn't hesitate, however, and brought the blunt end of the cane down on her head, sending her onto her back on the floor. Surprisingly, Hyde didn't give any sign that she was in pain after she was hit, and left sprawled on the ground.

With a giggle and a jump, Rumpelstiltskin stood over her, his thin legs on either side of her body with his knees pressing harshly into her ribs. He held the cane tightly, driving the bottom of it into her forehead, slowly feeling the pressure in her skull starting to accumulate. She was about to get up or throw the Imp off of her, but he showed that he had more strength than he appeared to have. She glared at him as he pressed her cane into her forehead and out of instinct, grabbed the cane, fighting his strength with her own and tried to lift the cane off of her own head, and push back towards Rumpelstiltskin.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME?" Rumpelstiltskin shouted loudly, his child-like demeanor now far gone. He brought up the cane only to change the angle of which he was holding it and brought the top of it down on her head once more. Hyde managed to catch the brass top of the cane before it touched her head but it still took some of her strength to keep the top from pressing into her forehead. She sneered back at Rumple in response to his shout,

"Well to be honest...you look more like prey than a predator."

"NO ONE! NO ONE CAN KILL ME!" He jerked the cane out from the monsters hold and brought it down once more on the opposite side of her head before he pulled himself off of her and let the cane fall to the side by her body. Hyde took the hit with only a grunt and a low and angry animalistic growl directed towards Rumpelstiltskin. He brushed off his black leather vest and craned his neck until he was rewarded with a small series of cracks. He took a couple backwards steps from her, though pointed a gnarled finger at the woman, his smile now returning as well as the child-like voice.

"But I like your spirit. Now get up."

Hyde glared at him as she stood, nowhere near as amused as he was.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" He remarked with a smirk. "Now let me talk to the other one, I've seen enough." He said waving his hand at her like he was 'shooing' away a pesky house-fly.

Hyde laughed at Rumpelstiltskin's dismissal. She said to him "I'm not done. Sorry, but Jekyll won't be coming out for a while now that I'm out. You wanted the monster, you got the monster."

"No matter..." Rumpelstiltskin said with a light shrug and conjured up a lavish throne out of thin air. He flapped the tail of his tunic open and sat down gracefully, sinking into the chair comfortably. "…I'll wait then."

Hyde stalked closer to Rumpelstiltskin and she said to him with a sneer, "Let me make one thing clear in regards to this deal. You try to do anything to Jekyll, I'll make you pay. Be it through death, or any other method that'll make you suffer, and you _will_ suffer."

Rumpelstiltskin put a hand over his heart, looking quite taken aback by the threat...if a bit dramatically.

"My dear! Dear...dear..." He snapped his fingers between pauses trying to think, realizing that he never caught the name of the monster before him. "Well whoever you are..." He ended up with, giving up. "My intention is not to hurt your dearly crazed Jekyll, only to help." His tone was sincere, but the crooked smile creeping across his face could have told someone otherwise. "Besides dearie...I'm more interested...in _you_..." He added, pointing his finger at her once more.

Hyde had a clearly skeptical look on her face, and she inhaled through her nose again before saying "You're actually a terrible liar," She rolled her eyes, and said "You just tried to kill dear Heather in order just to see me, and she didn't do a single thing to you," She didn't even bother to mention how he tried to kill Hyde, she knew that he could say it was self-defense and she wasn't in the mood for that sort of argument. She ended her statement with a mock pout.

"I knew you'd come out to save her." Rumpelstiltskin jested in reply.

"Only because she and I are one. If one of us dies, so does the other. And I rather quite like living," She then crossed her arms and she said "Now. The question is why in the world would you want an apprentice for? And you chose a scientist for the job too."

Rumpelstiltskin seemed to mull over his answer before speaking, though when he did the child was out of his tone and instead replaced with that of a mentor.

"I think you're smart enough to gather that my world is different from yours, dearie." He began.

Hyde snidely remarked "That much is obvious. Your point?"

Rumpelstiltskin stood up from the throne and walked slowly to her, his eyes trained on a single spot on her forehead where he had managed to break the skin with the head of the cane. He raised his hand slowly, his eyes darting to hers for a moment, ensuring she wouldn't try to strangle him to death again. The tip of his fingers brushed against her thick brown hair, pushing it aside a bit to expose the small bleeding wound. Small, purple strands of magic began to circle around his hand, but nothing happened aside from a soft smile appearing on his face.

Hyde raised an eyebrow as Rumpelstiltskin examined her wound. The notion of attacking the Imp again and ending his life all too tempting, but the curiosity of what he was about was stronger and she simply pushed the thought away.

"Magic does not affect you...and I intend to find out why." He said softly before returning his hand back to his side.

"Sounds like that'll be somewhat handy."

Rumpelstiltskin's grin only widened. "Oh you have no idea." He smirked, giving Hyde the impression that this man shared a multitude of inside jokes with himself.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure I have a good idea how handy this is," She countered, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of having the higher ground.

Rumpelstiltskin just shook his head a bit but decided not to press the matter, at least not now.

"You'll let me talk to the other one now..." He said indefinitely; it wasn't a request.

Hyde raised her eyebrows at his serious command, and she said to him "OK. But you'll have an unconscious body on your hands. Before I do though. Do you vow not to use your magic to kill, maim, curse, or turn her into anything inanimate or another animal? I'll come back with a bloody vengeance if you don't." She spoke the last statement in a _deadly_ serious tone.

Nothing short of a crazed giggle came from the Imp, almost sounding like he were pleased with her threat.

"Of course dearie." He agreed but took the couple steps back towards her. "However, you must promise me something in return..."

Hyde glared at Rumpelstiltskin and she sneered "And what would that be?" She looked warily as she waited for his answer. She clearly didn't trust Rumpelstiltskin and what he had to say for his payment.

"Your compliance." He said simply and tilted his head to the side ever-so-slightly. "You will leave any time I ask and let your other-self through, and you have my word I will not kill, maim, curse, or turn her into anything inanimate or other animal."

Hyde shrugged and said "Fine," She knew he could have asked for worse, so she wasn't going to complain. "Catch ya later." Her brown eyes changed back to blue and as the rest of the changes followed quickly after, Heather Jekyll fell to the floor unconscious.

Rumpelstiltskin waited for a few moments, expecting her to get up. When she didn't move, he cautiously walked closer to her and nudged her side with his boot. Still, she didn't even flinch. With somewhat of a frown, Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand and a bucket-full of water conjured just above her head, but without the bucket. He released his hand and let the water fall onto the Doctor's face.

Heather gasped sharply as the freezing cold water hit her face, and she sat up. Immediately, all of the pain from the wounds Hyde received from Rumpelstiltskin surfaced and caused the good Doctor to grimace.

"Oww...Dammit Hyde!" She looked up to see Rumpelstiltskin and shot him a glare, though nowhere near as menacing as her counterpart. She quickly stood up and ran a hand through her hair, fixing it however she could and realizing that she had lost her hat long ago.

"You've got quite the friend there." Rumpelstiltskin said watching Dr. Jekyll get up without even so much as offering to help her.

Heather retorted unhappily "I tried to warn you. But you were quite insistent on seeing her.

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes moved from hers to the floor where it was now wet and his small smile fell into a frown. "You should clean that up before you make my dinner. I do hate water-stains on my good floor." He let out a slight giggle before turning to leave.

"What? Aren't I your apprentice? I don't recall signing up to be a house maid."

Rumpelstiltskin stopped mid-step and turned to face her slightly.

"Oh? Tell me...apr-r-rentice! WHAT? Exactly...does an apprentice do?" He asked, his voice again child-like and trivial.

Heather sighed, knowing what the answer was, "They work and study under the teacher's instruction." She knew what he probably was going to say next, and she asked "If you're going to say that chores help me learn magic, then you'd best say why that is other than it keeping you happy."

Rumpelstiltskin held up a hand to keep her from talking, even going as far as putting a simple spell to keep her mouth shut for the time being.

"You took the deal dearie." He reminded her with a condescending tone. He waved his hands and procured a small bucket with a rag inside of it. "There! Don't say I never gave you anything." He giggled and again turned to walk away, this time reaching the double doors that led out to the main hall before turning to look at her once more. "Oh and I like to have my dinner by sundown, so do be quick about it." His face cracked into another grin before the grand double doors of the room slammed closed, locking her in but at the same time releasing the spell keeping her mouth shut.

Heather's eyes narrowed, vaguely recalling the deal that the Imp had made with Hyde and couldn't help but to feel that he sort of already broke it. The Cheshire Cat had warned her about the loopholes, but now she saw it firsthand. Begrudgingly she got to work, with Hyde promising to kill Rumpelstiltskin in her thoughts. She made quick work of it as she could, and after she was done cleaning up the water mess she headed to the kitchen to make his meal.

XXX

The Cheshire Cat lounged himself on the branch of a tall tree, stretched across his full length lying on his belly. He kept the vial that contained his freedom in one of the larger holes of the trees, where it lay safely nestled. The Cat wished to be fully rested as he would have to get used to being human again.

As the morning sunlight beamed against his face, he opened one eye slowly, narrowing it as he was instantly met with the bright light. He stood on all four legs and stretched lazily, yawning as he did so.

"Today's the day." He said eagerly to himself, his always present grin widening as he procured the small vial from the hole, staring deeply into it as though it were a long-awaited friend. "Hmm, it appears my patience has rewarded me. Let us hope that impish imbecile does not fool me again." He said warily, eyes narrowing as he remembered what happened the *last* time Rumpelstiltskin had 'helped' him.

Putting a single paw to the key around his neck, the Cat muttered something in a voice just barely above a whisper before popping the top off of the vial with his mouth. Cupping the mouth of the bottle with his jaws, he tilted his head back; letting gravity take the potion down his throat. The liquid tasted vile and bitter, and seemed to have a strange burn as it went down his gullet. The Cat coughed and hacked, the empty vial toppling from the treetop and shattering on the ground below.

After what seemed like hours, the Cat looked around questioningly. He hadn't felt a change. He teleported down onto the ground towards a nearby creek where he looked upon his reflection, hoping to see a different person looking back at him. Instead, he saw what he had _always_ seen: the thin face of the black cat with its frighteningly bizarre grin and bright blue eyes.

"Blast that thrice-damned Imp, he played me for a fool!" The Cat hissed as he paced about, a deep tension seemed to overtake his entire body as his posture was stiff as a board. He would have wept, were he able to. But he was just that: a broken creature unable to do anything but smile and disappear. He had nothing left...it was all gone with those simple few words: _"Then it's a deal..."_

The Cat's eyes narrowed hatefully. He wasn't going to accept it this time. Sacrificing logic for action he quickly disappeared from the forest. It was time to pay Rumpelstiltskin another, not so pleasant, visit.

**Author's Note:**

**Well now what? Haha. Cheshire Cat isn't too happy with Rumpelstiltskin, but then again he was kind of asking for it don'tcha think? Next Chapter is up! Read on my fellow Oncers!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Guilt of the Beast

**Author's Note:**

**And here we have another chapter. This one is a bit lengthy, and introduces yet another character who's name you will recognize, but with a special twist of my own. (Once-ified!) I know you all have questions as to what the hell is going on, but I promise that all will be revealed in future chapters (it's just like watching the tv show huh? Anyone else wanna know why the hell Mr. Gold knows about Yen Sid's Sorcerer Hat, and what it's doing in their honeymoon house?)**

As soon as the doors had been shut and locked, the same thick, blood-red smoke appeared, covering Rumpelstiltskin as he walked towards the exit of his castle until all that was left was the airy wisps of where the Imp had once been. Really now, the woman cleaning his floor didn't expect him to be available at all hours of the day now did she? Well, he didn't care if she did; that wasn't part of the deal.

When he materialized once more, he was miles from his castle, standing just on the edge of the forest now adorned in a rather ratty looking brown cloak covering up the black dragon-hide vest and dark red silk shirt. He flipped the hood up and over his head, letting the long, greasy strands of his hair curtain his face as he stepped into the dark forest without a moment's hesitation; after all, when you're The Dark One, what have you to fear?

The journey he took was a familiar one; one he had been taking every day for the past week; a journey that he both looked forward to in anticipation and regretted with all his heart at the same time.

His keen tracking skills led him to a small area that was somewhat new to him; however the subject matter of what was hiding in this thicket of trees he was all but too familiar with. He stood behind a tree, his dead eyes peering out from behind it as they fell upon the very person of his search and just as each time he made this journey and found his target, he felt his heart drop down to his boots.

Why he had thought that today, as opposed to the last seven, would be any easier he wasn't sure. There was nothing easy about seeing the very product of his jealousy, and there was nothing easy about seeing the ruin he had brought to a truly innocent person's life.

Rumpelstiltskin felt tears brimming to his eyes as his hand started reaching out to the person still a great distance away and unaware of his presence, wishing with all his heart he could touch her, and tell her that everything was going to be alright.

"Belle…"

It was hardly above a whisper, and yet that simple word rolling off of his tongue hurt him more than any sort of physical pain he had ever endured in his life. A single tear pushed itself from the Imp's eye and rolled down his cheek, his arm outstretched to her despite her being so far away. Finding his ridiculous hand movement utterly pointless, he returned his hand to his side and simply watched as he had been doing every day since she had fled into the forest.

Had it already been an hour? Maybe two? Rumpelstiltskin didn't know. The only indication that time had passed was that the sun was sitting differently in the sky casting an all new feeling of shadows on the thicket. His tears had dried up long ago but his body had grown numb watching the very beauty that made him question everything he had ever done.

A twig snapped a hundred or so yards away and the Imp was quick to react. A small search party of three or so soldiers were closing in fast on Belle, two with their swords drawn and one with an arrow notched into a bow who took the lead. The bowman called out Belle's name, having spotted her hiding place and the beauty was quickly alerted to their presence.

The voices of the villagers echoed through her sensitive ears, everything so crisp. Something she was still unable to get used to. She had watched the days and nights pass by but there was no sure way to tell how long it had been, no way to tally the days as she was always on the move. She wasn't focused on the days, however, she was more worried about herself. She spent what felt like forever moving away from the groups that approached her, soldiers and rallied parties of hunters and brave men tasked with finding her. Belle's eyes quickly scanned the forest for the cursed pale pink flower that triggered whatever this spell was. No, not a spell...a curse…

Her once white dress was tattered as she ran through the tall grass and closely knit trees. Still in her wedding gown, her hair a mess, twigs and leaves stuck in her light brown locks. A voice called out to her right, her head shot in that direction. A man stood atop a hill, pointing towards her he called her name. She looked back in terror and ran without paying attention, only knowing that he was from her village. The flower wasn't in her line of sight but its unforgettable scent had entered her nostrils. The pain had begun and her eyes starting to glow. She tried to move in the opposite direction of the scent all the while steering clear of the search party that had found her, fighting the pain that was slowly consuming her body. It eventually started to fade away and her eyes returned to their normal, more human, bright blue color.

But as the scent of the cursed flower weakened, the voices grew louder. Worry starting to overcome Belle's expression. Figures began closing in on her, surrounding her, calling her name. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breaths coming in fast. Pushing her body forward she managed to slip passed a few trees that lead to a thicker part of the forest. The villagers continued to call out her name. They approached but the darkness of the woods slowed them down. She continued to run until the sounds of the villagers were distant. Stopping she looked around. Dropping to the ground she cried in her hands.

Rumpelstiltskin narrowed his eyes as he watched the three men pursue after his beauty, even after she had made it perfectly clear that she wanted to be left alone. Anger began to boil up in his deflated heart and with a snap of his fingers the Imp was gone, only to materialize in front of the soldiers.

He gave them no time to react, nor did he speak a word. The bowman was sent flying into a tree by an unseen force, his back bending into the wood of the trunk tighter and tighter until the sound of bone snapping finally echoed through the trees and the body fell life-less to the forest floor.

By now the two other soldiers had their wits about them and began to charge The Dark One, however neither of them knew of the dangers they were facing until it was too late. With a puff of purple smoke surrounding the both of them, the soldiers were no longer and instead two small rats scurried over one another in fright.

Rumpelstiltskin bent down and picked one of the rats up by the tail and with an amused smirk, removed the tail from the rat sending the now tail-less creature plummeting to the ground, breaking it's legs upon impact. He hovered his boot over the defenseless creature and sent it pummeling down, grinding hit boot side to side as he felt each and every bone of the tiny creature fracture. He only stopped to watch as the second rat squeaked and squealed and scampered away for his very life to an unknown place deep within the forest. With an unsettling giggle, Rumpelstiltskin pocketed the rat tail and disappeared in his puff of blood red smoke, now to appear where Belle had stopped for the moment though this time he took the hiding place of a high-up tree branch, still far enough away from her that she wouldn't see.

What was left of her clothes had turned from a pure white to a dirty stained brown and grey. She removed her torn gloves and tossed them aside. Her face was streaked with dirt as she wiped away the tears. Her crying grew more violent, tears flowing down her face. Her body trembled as she looked down at her blood stained hands. How had it happened? Why her? What was the reason behind this? She had killed…not just anyone, but Gaston…her love, the person that mattered most to her.

What had she ever done to deserve such a curse? Belle had always been kind, never wishing harm upon anyone. Now it was as if all eyes were on her, the lingering feeling of someone constantly watching, as if they knew what she had done…

"I'll look after you Belle." Rumpelstiltskin breathed out ever so softly to himself from his hiding place. "I promise…"

With no tears remaining Belle eventually stopped crying, sitting around in the middle of the forest. She hadn't the slightest on what to do, where to go. She had no one and nowhere. Bringing her knees up she held them tightly as she rested her forehead. Her eyes were closed as she took slow and steady breaths, jaw clenched. All that ran through her mind were images of the wedding, the way Gaston suddenly changed, the reactions of all that watched.

Her head shot up, an unsettling feeling crawling down her spine. She looked around in terror, the wind brought whispers to her ears, she heard her name being called. Her amber eyes studied the forest around her, she saw nothing but she could feel someone's gaze upon her. Worry was written across her features. Although all these enhanced senses were new to her she still couldn't get used to it. Were there actual whispers of her name or was she just misinterpreting the sounds of the surrounding forest? She couldn't shake the feeling of prying eyes. Glancing over her right shoulder she still saw nothing. Looking to the ground once again Belle soon brought her forehead to her knees and just looked at the tattered, dirty and torn fabric of her dress. She tried to focus on what was around her.

**_The day before_**

_A carefully cloaked woman smirked, her teeth flashed a bright white over the darkness of the subtle uniform. She stood on one of the top branches of a pine tree, her lithe form made it easy to do such dangerous things. So she waited, still on the branch, focusing-as hard as it was-on entering the void she had come to love. So as a villager pasted, no, a hermit really; in his dingy clothes a simple wool cloth, seemingly fitted with some sort of animal fur to be exact, and even a proper horse, silver in color, with a black mane. The opposite of a palomino really... it seemed fit for riding, but this horse had muscle, it was hardened and looked as if it was an experienced climber. Tough and powerful. Perfect._

_She didn't jump, she didn't dare reveal herself. Instead she took a quick dive down, barreling through the air somewhat subtly, still silent. And just before the third to last branch, she caught hold. Swinging and pulling herself up with a small frown, she had managed it, though it made enough noise for the poor hermit to look up, watching the air above him. She was crouched, pulled up against the rough bark. Her breathing had stopped, and though Cricky made his trademark noise, she wasn't discovered._

"This cricket will be the death of me, I know it." _She thought to herself._

_Once the hermit was far down the long, cobble road she started as well and climbed down from the long, steady tree. As soon as she was down she took Cricky out of her pocket, placing him on a leaf and walking on. She was nothing; making no noise, her footprints were not real; she had no trail and had no one capable of following. It was all too perfect. She was too skilled to be naturally sane. It would have taken years, day after day, pounding her sanity out the door to even think of moving like she did, almost hovering off the ground._

_It took what felt like forever, she moved along with him, never breaking, moving alongside the man yet she was hidden in the brush that was too small for anyone unlike her to make use of. But when he stopped she was on top of him. He went into the forest and she was there, as he looked around she was right behind his back, still unseen in the moonlight that now shadowed the once bright day. And as he felt safe, as he knew there was no one left to bother the poor man. She struck, taking no time at all to finish the man. She snapped his neck, no blood, no fingerprints. No delay, he was gone and no one would know it._

_After she had given him a most proper burial she was off, the area she had buried the poor old man was desolated, she had made the smallest of holes in the ground, and she had contorted his limp body to fit him in. It looked nearly untouched, but someone with an eye would know if it were tampered. She had also stolen his clothes, they didn't fit her well but with a few quick adjustments she felt they were fine. And with that she knew, at this moment she had put herself at risk already, the sword was an inch closer to her blackened heart. But she now had clothing, a small bit of food, but most importantly a horse. Its build told her it had been through the mountains, and that it had faced the inevitable climates. Mushu was set._

_Lifting her small-self up, she climbed atop the horse, almost crushing Cricky who she had gone back to retrieve just moments before. It could have been any cricket really, but Mushu had quite the feeling that it was none other than the special little fellow that had hopped into her house one night._

_"As it goes, a cricket means luck, but I think you're a little more than luck little one. I think you're special. And as long as you live up to your name, you'll have a place with me." With those whispered words she was off, guiding her way through the pass._

**Present Day**

As Mushu entered the tiny, seemingly rat filled village she smiled. It was much nicer than expected really, the scent of fresh flowers, warm bread, and obvious sweetness overflowed her senses. It was too much to bear, yet at the same time delicate and rather great. It beat living in the dampness of the woods; the pine got worse each long, relentless day. So she carried on, trekking forward as her new horse made its living.

One thing she noted was that there were guards, armored and wielding their favorite weapons. Ranging from swords to flails, it was more iron and steel then she had seen in most of her life. She had seen entire armories before, full of the weapons that powered Ninjutsu. So, now with a steady hand over the cricket in her pocket she continued forward, not looking nervous but instead she emitted the horrible emotion. It contorted her muscles and made them slightly tense, she felt as if this was a major setup. And without the slightest way of concealing her face, even her weapons, she was screwed. As if someone had already thrown her down in the six foot deep hole, in a wooden box; the poorest excuse of a casket.

"_Screw you Rumpelstiltskin, if I manage to get my hands on yo-_"

"Excuse me ma'am, if I could have a moment of your time?" Her thoughts were cut off by the question of a soldier. Mushu jumped, looking down at the heavily armed man, he had a paper in his hand. The crude drawing of a fair young woman. "Do you know this woman? Her name is Belle."

Mushu frowned at that, she showed a true moment of fierce emotion that the guard saw. Straightening, Mushu sighed and nabbed the paper, shaking her head. "I don't recognize her, but I am deeply sorry for your loss." The soldier could believe the downtrodden words she spoke, and so giving her the parchment sheet he let her be.

Mushu looked over the paper, a deep furrowing of her brows set on her usually gentle face. Her maiden was missing; it didn't say she committed a crime, though it did say she had been missing for a week...an entire week, marching towards a fortnight! This was horrid, how would she ever find the girl if she was dead already? It wasn't as if this Beauty was still stuck out there. She had either been raped, murdered, or starved. The possibility of her being out there...was a million to one...and so Mushu-in her absolute rage-crumpled up the idiotic page, throwing it in an ignorantly beautiful, pink rose bush.

With that she charged out of the magical town, her beast carrying her with little effort, striding along into the woods. Pine scratched her face and made her fresh scars bleed again, it did little to stop her though. She wasn't sure when she would stop. Maybe when she found the body of Belle. Then she would feel relief. Only then...

The pounding of heavy hoofs thundered across the forest floor sending grass and twigs flying as Mushu practically raced against time itself. The horse was noticeably exhausted; he foamed at the mouth and made frequent sounds of agonizing protest. She had to let up, lest the horse die in front of her eyes, it would be quite hard to conceal such a large body. So with a sigh she stopped, her relentless convoy had come to quite an end.

She had to set up camp; she also needed food, water and oats for the damned horse, and something to do. That was all she had on mind really, but what was pounding her the most was the single frightening idea that stuck there. In a deep crevasse, that still seemed high enough to skim; was the thought of what Rumpelstiltskin, what...the Dark One, would do to her when he found out his maiden was probably dead. It spooked her, and so she hugged herself as if it were to be a good means of defense, as if her arms being wrapped around her small frame could keep her from harm. It couldn't. So with that horrible, treacherous and untouchable thought planted deep inside of her skull she went onwards. Not daring to look back, afraid of what could be behind her, she instead talked to her horse, imagining comfort from its neighs and whinnies.

After just a small mile or two her horse stopped, rearing viciously and becoming violent; though he looked slightly dazed, a fog covered its eyes and it was scared. She couldn't forgive him as he nearly knocked the wind out of Mushu, hitting her flat in the chest. She was knocked backwards, holding onto the reins until her hand turned a ghostly white. "What in the world!" She screeched as she failed to calm the untamed stallion down.

There was a voice! Belle's head shot up and she looked behind her. Two heartbeats, both quick. Although two different scents entered her nose she was unable to tell what they were, her mind unable to analyze them. Turning her body in the direction of the sound she slowly stood up. Atop a hill in the distance she saw something. It was dark, details difficult to analyze. Belle took a tentative step backwards, not paying attention to her surroundings. Her heel caught on something as she stumbled backwards. Fabric tore as she felt small pricks of pain scrape against her body. A small sound of surprise and annoyance escaped her, an extremely familiar scent entering her nose. But something was different about this one.

Scrambling to her feet she turned around and looked down at what she had tripped on and fallen into. A log; behind it was a bush that was terrifyingly familiar to her eyes. She covered her mouth and nose as she tightly shut her eyes, waiting for the pain to erupt. After a few moments nothing happened and she opened one eye. Cautiously making her way towards the small bush she peeked over the log. Her mind was right, a rose bush it was but the flowers that adorned it were that of a deep, blood red color. Belle dropped her hands slowly as she got closer to the beautiful, yet dangerous flowers. All roses did not affect her…was this true? Moving even closer the maiden knelt down next to the flowers.

Her bloodstained hand trembled slightly as it reached out towards one of the fully bloomed roses. The petals were soft against her skin as she smiled, a moment of calm for the young woman.

"So beautiful…" She spoke to herself as she picked the flower, cautious of its thorns. Bringing it close to her she smelled it, her smile becoming brighter. Hearing the frightened neigh of a horse in the distance she snapped out of her small moment of joy. Looking up she watched the animal rear but not approach, its rider struggling to keep it calm. Using this to her advantage, Belle turned around to flee but stopped dead in her tracks.

It seemed roses were abundant in the part of the forest; the bushes went on for miles. She dared not take a breath. Although she did not see any of the cursed, pale pink flowers it was a risk she was not willing to take. Moving backwards again she stopped once she found herself at a fair distance from them, putting her somewhat out in the open. She was closer to whoever was upon the horse but she would rather deal with the person than potentially kill someone who could be innocent. No one deserved to die by her hand; Belle didn't have the right to kill anyone, if she could avoid it she would.

Throughout all of this Mushu was battling fiercely…with a horse as absolutely mental as she. As it reared she had to move out of the way; plunging to whichever random side of the miniscule clearing. It brought down its massive forefeet, as if intentionally trying to crush her. She identified that this was not the case, but it irked her, it made her think,

"_What if this was intentional? Rumpelstiltskin most definitely could have done it."_

She was most definitely going mad, if she wasn't mentally insane already it was hitting like a tsunami now.

The horse made another quick move, it was surprisingly agile. So in the end she picked up a stick, shattering it into large pieces and throwing a portion at the stallion in front of her. The beast was fazed as it hit his muzzle, he stopped rearing and it seemed as if the dust cloud had cleared. Mushu couldn't help it, she was much too relieved by now, and so she fell back; letting loose of the reins, the horse had its eyes set on something she had yet to see, but she didn't care at the slightest. Until she fell onto someone's foot…that was a wicked surprise.

Belle jumped as she felt someone behind her. Turning around she watched someone stumble to the ground and quickly backed away. She looked down in confusion and worry. Who was this person, what did they want?

Letting loose a foolish yelp Mushu weakly scrambled back, her dinky face looking up to see one that had been before; the girl was ratty, a tattered gown suggested a formal event, blood suggesting murder or abuse, the red lines of streaked tears revealed grief. Yet the thing she noticed out of all was the face of this girl; her cheekbones, even the curve of her nose mattered. It all lead to the missing girl, the maiden of Rumpelstiltskin and the talk of her village.

"Belle," she squeaked, her voice high pitched and slightly relieved. This girl meant the world to her, and though it wasn't emotion that lead to that feeling she couldn't help the smile that formed, the tear of joy that now streaked her own face. No matter how much she was in need of rest, no matter the pinpricks of pain that tortured her head and back, she got up. Not caring about those limitations, and instead quivering in delight. She had found the girl that would take her out of the trenches!

"Y-You are Belle? Am I correct? Your village, they have been searching for you…I saw the paper…you look like her." Mushu cleared her throat and walked to her horse, only now realizing that the beast was eying Belle, he seemed quite scared. Scrounging through her saddlebags she found an old apple, it was still in the ripe stages but seemed overdue. It would work as a peace offering though.

Belle watched with caution, it was a woman. Her eyes grew wide when she realized this. At first she thought it was a young man. "Who are you…?" She asked still confused.

"Sorry if I came off as a creep, you're just an important girl and I needed a sense of consolation before I went back with the wrong stranger." Mushu broke apart the apple, in a swift motion it was halved. She tossed a half to the girl and bit into the crisp red skin of hers. "My name is Lily." She mentioned, smiling at her lie and leaning against the horse.

Belle continued to watch the woman. She remained silent for a few more moments. Catching the apple she looked from the fruit to the lady. "How did you find me and what do you want from me?" She questioned. "Who sent you? Was it father? Was it…" She remembered Gaston's dead eyes. "Who?" Her tone was a little more demanding. "I will not return to that village…I cannot, no matter what anyone says. It's not safe, not for you and certainly not for anyone in that village. Just leave me be please." She moved closer to the woman and held out the apple that was given to her, giving it back.

Mushu sighed, looking over the apple as if Belle were to be crazy. She did not take the apple and instead folded her arms, raising an already arched eyebrow and shaking her head angrily. "I came out here for a pretty copper, they have placed quite the tag on you Belle." Mushu replied with her usual sharp tone, not even trying to be sweet anymore. It was rare and even less likely than a brick of gold on your path, so why should she try now? Looking up and down at Belle with her own thoughts on who and what she was.

"_He said I had to protect her, not that I had to be nice._"

With a casual shrug and a sly smirk, Mushu started once more, "I have no idea who 'father' is either, but he is probably a grieving mess at home. You do realize that don't you? Because if you were to be so selfish as to not even grant him a letter, telling him you were safe, well I don't see why the town bothers." The words were as sharp as a dagger, and her eyes sharper still. Mushu was trying to pressure Belle into speaking out. "Unless...you have good reason?"

Dropping the apple, Belle's gaze turned slightly more vicious as she clenched her jaw. "Safe? Tell them I'm safe? I am far from safe. It's better for them to think I'm dead than tell them I'm okay and giving them the hope of seeing me again." She stepped closer and met the dark eyes opposite hers. This woman hadn't the slightest, no one could truly understand Belle's reasons. "Why does it matter to you what the town does? What my family feels? You're here to collect a pretty penny and that's it. You might as well turn around and go back to where you came from." She turned to walk away, there was no sense in wasting her time with this woman. All she wanted was to be alone, away from others so she wouldn't be able to harm anyone.

Although the woman's words did hit a soft spot, Belle tried her hardest not to linger upon it. If the village knew she was dead perhaps they would stop looking. Perhaps if Belle ventured deeper into the forest they would give up. That sounded like something she preferred.

A pair of nearby dark eyes narrowed. Rumpelstiltskin watched the exchange between the two women from a safe distance on a tree branch, arms crossed over his chest with his back leaning against the thicker part of the trunk. To him, it seemed- no, he _knew_ that Belle wasn't about to budge. He had heard that determination in her voice before, though that was arguably under better circumstances. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he let out a soft, long sigh. Really could he blame her though? She had every right to not want to return to the village, how was she to know that he had spent the last week pillaging her village in an effort to destroy every last pale-pink rose? Sure a few people lost a finger or two in the process, a death-threat here and there...but nothing more than that; he knew Belle would be upset if he had burned the whole village and it's precious pink roses down as he had initially intended.

Rumpelstiltskin opened his eyes back up, looking down upon Belle with a solemn face, thinking,

_"I'm sorry Belle, but I have to.."_

Aside from going down to the forest floor and dragging Belle to the village himself, there wasn't any other way. Rumpelstiltskin raised his hand, turning his attention to a small thicket of rose bushes nearby and concentrated a small fireball from his hand. It hovered for a moment before he turned to look at Belle one last time. He glanced to Mushu for a second, willing for her to look up at him, to notice his presence.

Mushu couldn't help it, her focus left the stubborn girl and her mouth was left hang open. She had been in the works of a reply when she saw Rumpelstiltskin, the horrid Dark One himself; with a gleaming fireball focused towards a bush of something she couldn't notice or see.

"We are leaving now little one, no buts." She said sternly, roughly tugging on Belle's arm and nodding in understanding ever-so-slightly in Rumpelstiltskin's direction as she tried to get the little missy to mount the huge horse. Rumpelstiltskin nodded back in reply, establishing a mutual, silent understanding that as of now, their deal was in effect.

Belle didn't enjoy the way she was pulled against her will. Looking towards the woman that was dragging her away, her gaze was deadly as she glared at the woman. The two approached the horse, the animal not feeling comfortable with Belle's presence. Yanking her arm out of Lily's grasp she pulled hard enough to make the woman stumble.

"Your horse does not like me…" As if on cue the animal reared on its hind legs, coming down as if to trample Belle. She stumbled back and tripped, barely making it out of the horse's way.

Rumpelstiltskin blinked once, knowing he was running out of time and that damned horse was putting Belle in danger. He unleashed the ball of fire to the rose bushes below, using his other hand to control the rapid flame as it began to spread, isolating a single red rose bush to keep it from burning in its eventual wake.

The deep blood red rose that had been in Belle's hand was now destroyed under the horse's hoof. Getting up slowly she dusted herself off, although it would not make any difference in her attire. Belle went to move away from Lily and her insane horse but stopped as she smelled the burning wood and hedges. She watched as the forest went up in flames. Her mouth fell agape and her eyes went wide. She couldn't be within the safety of the forest anymore…she couldn't hide…she couldn't return to the village…could she? What would happen if she went back? Perhaps she could leave in the night, go someplace she could hide, away from others, the thought of hurting others haunted her, it was not something she wanted to experience…ever again.

Mushu groaned, punching her horse's rough shoulder with no effect. She then turned to Belle, wild eyes and a fierce smirk emerged on her delicate features, with no care for her actions she dove forward; swiftly dashing towards Belle, once she got to the taller girl she started her work, using her pointer and middle finger to quickly jab at the girl's pressure points. When finished, Belle slumped to the ground, in a peaceful stage of sleep.

"Step two, get her on the horse." Mushu muttered, guiding the horse to the ground beside Belle, and making it kneel for an easier lift. Mushu sighed, this would be rough, she took the arm of the sleeping beauty and heaved it onto the horse, and she then attempted to hike up one of Belle's legs, having visible trouble doing so.

Rumpelstiltskin jumped from the tree branch and landed on the forest floor inhumanly lightly. With absolute control over magic there were no repercussions from jumping at such a height. The fire behind him cast an uncomfortable heat at his backside but he seemed not to care. Instead, Rumpelstiltskin walked to Mushu with a stone-cold expression. He raised his hand, making Belle appear to be weightless in assisting Mushu in her small stature.

"I'll over-look the slight detail of taking your life for that, just the once...Mushu..." He said, using her name as if it held power. "You will come by my estate tomorrow morning and we shall discuss more there."

Without waiting for a response, he turned his back and took a couple steps away from Mushu, stopping to stoop down to look at the trampled rose. He waved his hand over the tiny, broken pieces and watched as a swirl of purple smoke circled around it, building the rose back together in its original beauty. He then picked up the rose as gently as if it were made of glass and looked back to the single rose bush he had protected from the flames. Turning in that direction, he moved the fire to his will, creating a path to the rose bush where he found exactly what he was looking for. He plucked a single thorn from the rose bush, the thorn being coated in Belle's crimson blood from when she had stumbled upon it earlier, and pocketed the thorn with the rat-tail he had collected earlier.

"Sorry sir, there is no one going by the name Mushu here, come back at a later time." Mushu groaned. Once he left she carried on with her duty, picking up the now weightless Belle and placing her on the mighty steed that would carry them to victory. As she mounted the horse for herself she made sure Belle rode in the front, and tied one of the girl's hands to a rein. With that she flew off, racing and avoiding fire. Today had been quite eventful. She couldn't wait for tomorrow morning.

Turning his head back Rumpelstiltskin watched the very last of Mushu and Belle's figures disappear as they ran towards town, and only then did Rumpelstiltskin let up on his magic of controlling the fire and let it spread on its own whim. The fire encircled around him, licking at his dried skin and just as it seemed that the flames would over-take him…he had vanished into a puff of thick, red smoke.

**Author's Note:**

****A very special thanks to my friends Huntress and CallaLily180 for the inspiration for Belle and Mushu. You guys rock! I realize I could have just stuck in Mulan's name where I have Mushu's and it would still work out fine, but...oh well lol. Mulan is uh *shifty eyes* busy with other things? (Like trying to get into Aurora's pants maybe? Hey, don't judge, it's confirmed Mulan had a thing for Aurora lol)  
><strong>**


	4. Chapter 4: Alexandre

**Author's Note:**

**And here we have another chapter! This time more focused on character development which actually doesn't happen a whole lot during the prologue. So if character development is your thing, then enjoy. If not, then it will all be over soon. This one might be a bit...bland to you Oncer's since these characters are still fairly new to you, but rest assured our giggling Imp will be returning shortly as well as some other characters you will recognize from the show.**

Heather sighed as she finished cleaning up the water with the rag and placing it into the bucket. "And now for his dinner," She grumbled to herself. This wasn't at all what she had expected when she agreed to stay in this world forever.

As she searched for the kitchen, she grumbled insults about the Imp under her breath. But how hard could cooking be? Cooking was just another form of chemistry...right? She soon reached the kitchen and looked through the ingredients. When she saw what she had to work with, she decided out loud ,

"Soup it is..."

A noise that sounded like a person singing began off in the distance; quiet and almost incomprehensible. The voice began to grow in volume and clarity, with the nonsensical lyrics becoming clearer to hear:

"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves  
>Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;<br>All mimsy were the borogoves,  
>And the mome raths outgrabe.<p>

Beware the Jabberwock, my son!  
>The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!<br>Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch."

Heather blinked at the sound of the new voice and muttered,

"That voice-"

As the song kept going on, the iconic grin of the Cheshire grin appeared floating in the air, followed closely by his eyes as he began to appear in front of the young doctor. The Cat continued his strange song as he continued to appear atop one of the counters of the kitchen.

"He took his vorpal sword in hand:  
>Long time the manxome foe he sought—<br>So rested he by the Tumtum tree,  
>And stood awhile in thought.<p>

And as in uffish thought he stood,  
>The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,<br>Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,  
>And burbled as it came!"<p>

The Cat tilted his head peculiarly at Dr. Jekyll as he finished the verse,

"I thought you could use a bit of company." He told her in a friendly enough tone, though it still held the sharp edge of haughtiness as it always did.

"How thoughtful, but that's not the only reason why you're here, is it, Mr. Cheshire?"

As she had answered the Cheshire Cat, she tried to recall what Poole had said about cooking. He mentioned something about making soup...what was it again? She chopped up the vegetables as she thought about it.

"Well, look whos brain has returned from holiday." He complimented with a snarky tone to his voice as he disappeared from his original spot, appearing next to the cutting board and looking down at the vegetables.

Heather retorted to his backhanded compliment with a roll of her eyes, "It was only on holiday because it had a hard time with the shock of talking to a huge cat with a wide grin on its face. Anyone from my world would be like that."

"It seems you've neglected to follow my advice of watching your words, eh? I may not be the most polite of gentlemen - err...gentle_cats_? I'll think more on it. But I digress; I am capable of giving useful advice when the whim strikes me." He explained casually, motioning with his paw as one might do with a human hand to help enunciate his points.

"I am well aware that your advice was very good advice. Unfortunately, my desperation got the better of me." Heather then looked to the cat and asked, "Let me guess. That concoction _he_ gave you...it didn't work and you're here to talk to him again?"

"Two for two, you're on a roll." The Cat complimented, looking directly at her as his tail swished about nonchalantly. Noticing the obvious bruises and marks on her face, his eyes narrowed. "Yes...your desperation is quite plain, it seems." He said, in a sincerely serious tone; his grin unfortunately making him look jovial, but the look of his _eyes_ was enough. "It was poor courtesy of me to leave you. By chance, I could have stopped him." The Cat said in an almost saddened tone. The thought of more people being hurt because of his direct involvement reminded him too much of that which he lost that was most dear.

Heather patted the cat's head kindly and she said "It's alright. I could've ended up with worse than these cuts and bruises. And the fault lies with...well...the dark part of me." She rolled her eyes just thinking about it. "He just _had_ to see her."

"Rumpelstiltskin is no fool. He seeks a foothold, of sorts; searches for possible weaknesses to use against those he makes deals with. For you, he knows how to...turn you." The Cat said, obviously in lack of a better word to describe the beast that he had only heard of and not yet seen.

Heather recalled how Rumpelstiltskin was interested in finding out why Hyde wasn't affected by magic and figured he wanted to know so he could use magic against Hyde.

"That's true...But she's proven to have a great and useful strength here, despite being beaten."

"For me, the Imp knows my past. I owe him two or three favors now, and he tricked me for them. In the end, all I sought was my humanity, and my freedom. I received neither." He said, his paw moving up to the key around his neck again, as if the item brought him some semblance of solace for the lost.

"My condolences," Heather said softly, trying to sympathize.

"I think I shall stay around here for a few days. Rumpelstiltskin may be the most powerful creature in the Enchanted Forest, but I doubt even _he_ can keep cats out. We come and go as we please." He said in his usual sharp, prideful tone.

"I suppose that is true. But still, if I were you, I'd be careful." Heather retorted, adding the beans and chicken to the soup. She started to stir, trying to get the flavor of the ingredients to meld within the broth.

"My dear doctor, if I was ever careful there'd be no fun in this life." The Cat said in a humorous manner as he paced to and fro on the counter.

"Besides, Rumpelstiltskin won't kill me as long as I owe him a favor. I believe one of his few weaknesses, aside from his overconfidence is his penchant for deals, barters, and trades. I'll be fine." He reassured. "Speaking of which, I must speak to him on this trade. One misses the prospect of being able to use one's handssss." He said with a growl to his voice.

Jekyll's worries weren't easily quelled by the cat's reassurances.

"As much as I would love to point you in the right direction, I have no idea as to where he's gone off to. I only know that he should be back here, in this castle, to eat his dinner at sundown. So, I recommend staying instead of going off to find him."

"Well then, I could make myself comfortable rather easy. Cats are adaptable creatures, you know." He informed pridefully. "But I prefer your company to that of rats and spiders." He said in a form that made Heather raise an eyebrow, not sure if it was meant to be a compliment or an insult.

"So then. Tell me of this _beast_ you have a habit of turning into?" The Cat asked her neutrally.

"Evelyn Hyde...she's the result of an experiment of mine. I had tried to separate my own darker impulses from my conscious with a concoction of my own. It worked, but not in the way I thought it would. Now, Evelyn is my dark side that comes out when I'm either in danger, angry, or asleep. She holds no regard for human life, and finds killing to be nothing more than sport,"

The Cat listened patiently, one of his ears twitching reflexively as they picked up other strange sounds that were quite prevalent throughout the castle.

Heather was looking at the floor as she stirred, and her hand moved quicker, stirring the soup faster, as she commented "I hate Hyde for what she's done and for having no regrets about it,"

"Hm...interesting…" The Cat commented cryptically. "I'm sure I could charm this 'Hyde' persona of yours. I suppose I'll see soon enough. The Imp, undoubtedly will call on her once again." He said calmly, hopping down from the counter onto the floor.

Heather groaned "I hope not. Because she may try to kill him again, or Rumpelstiltskin may have her kill someone instead of doing it himself,"

"He is as cruel as he is unpredictable. It's very rough justice all 'round. You, be on your guard." He warned her seriously, once more.

Heather nodded at his warning seriously, and said "Will do."

"But, take solace. You have the whole castle to yourself at the moment. Such an opportunity may not come again for some time." He said, his grin widening somewhat.

"That's right..." She was definitely curious and she did want to look around. But she knew that the imp probably wouldn't be lenient with her if he had burnt soup or had any complaints about it. She didn't know whether the imp would be a picky eater or not considering his childish facade.

"You're holding back." The Cat observed. "Afraid of your master?" He asked her in a somewhat taunting manner. "There's nothing he can do to you. You are worth too much to him at the moment. Have no fear. I'm going to go exploring for a bit, maybe find a nice spot for a nap. You may join me, if you wish." He offered her which earned him an offended look in return. Without waiting for a response, he slowly began to fade away once more; bit by bit, but not without continuing his song.

"One, two! One, two! And through and through  
>The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!<br>He left it dead, and with its head  
>He went galumphing back.<p>

And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?  
>Come to my arms, my beamish boy!<br>O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"  
>He chortled in his joy.<p>

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves  
>Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;<br>All mimsy were the borogoves,  
>And the mome raths outgrabe."<p>

As he continued to sing the song, more and more of him kept disappearing until he was naught but a grin. His voice became a strange echo before fading away to nothingness at the last word.

Heather could always say that she wanted to make sure that the cat didn't break anything, on the off chance that Rumpelstiltskin asked her why she went exploring.

"Now I have an excuse to do so."

She put out the fire, and put the lid on over the pot so the soup wouldn't get cold and she went off to go find The Cat, as well as explore the palace a bit.

"I wonder where that cat went..." Heather muttered as she looked around. She had found the library and the dungeons, and now she had entered a bedroom. It was clearly not Rumpelstiltskin's, from what she could guess anyways. The furniture and the bedsheets were far too feminine and looked to have not been touched in weeks. Though the Cat was nowhere to be seen, she could still hear the sound of his singing resounding through the halls of the castle with no discernible source except _everywhere_ and _nowhere_ all at the same time.

"How doth the little crocodile  
>Improve his shining tail,<br>And pour the waters of the Nile  
>On ev'ry golden scale!<br>How cheerfully he seems to grin,  
>How neatly spreads his claws,<br>And welcomes little fishes in  
>With gently smiling jaws!"<p>

As Heather looked around, she was getting slightly annoyed at the fact that the cat couldn't be discerned anywhere specific. Before she could say anything though, she heard the cat howl as though he were in extreme duress before a horrible silence fell throughout the castle.

"Cheshire? Cheshire, are you alright? Where are you?"

She was prepared to help the cat if he was hurt. She was a doctor after all; she could tend to wounds if the situation called for it.

Though there was nothing to answer her call, a strange order of sounds came from one of the nearby sitting rooms. Shuffling, groaning, and clattering as something fell to the floor; resounding an echo off the old, wooden floors. Heather hurried over to where the sounds were coming from and she saw, not a cat, but a human man instead.

The man who lay, nearly unconscious, in place of the Cat began to rise very slowly. He appeared well-dressed for the time, sporting a dull-brown colored frock coat with a plaid pattern over a burgundy colored double-breasted waistcoat with a golden floral pattern alongside a white button-up shirt. A golden cravat occupied his neck and he wore black-colored trousers about his legs and light brown leather shoes to compliment his feet. A gold-chained fob watch nestled itself in one of his waistcoat pockets.

The man himself appeared to be indeed quite handsome: His frame was tall and slim, though his shoulders were broad. His face was sharp and finely boned, yet slim and not at all unattractive. His dark brown hair was messily splayed about, yet maintained the appearance of both style and formality. His eyes were a light blue color that seemed to stand out among the rest of his appearance. Around his neck was the same heart-shaped key that the Cat shared.

Heather widened her eyes, and her mouth was open in a slight gape, at the sight of the handsome man. Had it not been for the key around his neck, and for his voice, Heather probably wouldn't have been able to recognize him as Cheshire.

"Wh-what happened?" The man asked, obviously confused as to what was going on. As he finished speaking, he seemed to grind his teeth together, looking discombobulated. "That's...strange."

"It looks like we're both wrong on that concoction you had. It worked...with a delayed effect. You're human, Cheshire!" She answered.

"Human? It worked? I'm...I'm free?" As if to convince himself, he swept over to a mirror that hung against the drying, cracked wall. Though the mirror wasn't in much better shape, it was enough to show an image. "I'm free." He said in disbelief, his hands moving up to meet his face, running through his mess of hair. "After all these years." He said in a hushed, almost reverent tone before abruptly interrupting his reverie as Heather shouted.

Heather then suddenly heard Hyde comment in her thoughts,

"_And he's a fine piece of work right there,_"

After Hyde gave a mental wolf whistle, Heather's face morphed into confusion and surprise and she couldn't help but yelp out "What?!" in reaction to Hyde's comments, a blush evident on her face.

"What? Taken aback? I told you I was charming." He said with a flirtatious smirk.

Heather blushed and stuttered, embarrassed by her sudden outburst.

"N-n-n-no! It's-It's not you. It's Hyde, I'm shouting about-" Her blush darkened even more when Hyde started imagining things Jekyll wouldn't dare imagine, and she yelped, somewhat angrily, as she turned away from Cheshire "Hyyyde!"

The Cat, well, _not_ a cat, seemed to take this outburst as a compliment, and as if on cue began straightening his clothing; dusting off his coat lapels, straightening his cravat, and mussing up his hair.

"It's been so long since I've been human. So many old...parts are back." He stated, obviously still in shock from the sudden transformation. "I'm still the Cat you used to know. Just...not a _cat_ anymore. New and improved!' He said, holding his arms out to enunciate the fact.

Heather turned back to look at Cheshire, her blush gone, and she had calmed down, and she commented after she cleared her throat with a fist in front of her mouth, "I can tell. Congratulations, Cheshire,"

"Yes, thank you. Cheshire...that simply won't do for a human anymore. I've...I've forgotten my old name." He said in a hushed tone, serious. Heather blinked, unbelieving that someone could forget their own name. "Amazing, the things you can forget." He went sadly, sitting down in one of the dusted chairs.

"But things are looking on the up and up. I can find myself a new name, start a new life." His eyes darted to her for a moment, "Find a wife." He said lastly, crossing one leg over the other. This new form seemed to give him more confidence, if such a thing were even possible.

Trying to ignore that last bit and not blush, Heather came to a realization. She said to him seriously "Wait a minute. I don't think you're out of the woods yet, in a manner of speaking. There's still the matter of whether or not this transformation is permanent or not. I don't think you would want to turn into a cat again."

Cheshire's smile seemed plastered on his cheeky face, grinning from ear to ear in a manner not unlike his very same grin in cat form. However, on her hypothesis, the smile quickly dissipated.

"No, I...never thought of that." He said, rising slowly. "I suppose the only thing to do is wait and see what happens, eh?" He suggested with a small smirk, looking her up and down. Now that he felt truly...normal, he could take time and appreciate the 'form' of the girl in front of him.

"Or you could talk with the imp and make sure it stays permanent..."

He looked her up and down as one would observe a new sculpture, raising his eyebrows and nodding to himself as if she wasn't even there. "Well, my observations are finished!" He proclaimed cheerily, ignoring her last statement, that same smile shone on his face once more. Though this time it looked much more normal...more human.

When he made his proclamation, Heather couldn't help but notice how natural his smile was, and it made him look even better than before. She couldn't help but feel the joy he felt when he smiled like that. She shook her head of such romantic thoughts, and she asked "I'm sorry, observations? I'd be more worried about the concoction's permanence if I were you."

"From my point of view, I see it two ways: one, I can worry over my potion that could potentially return me to cat form, or two, enjoy this time now. As a human." He said, putting his hands in his coat pockets, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again.

"Plus, it seems you and Hyde enjoy this attention." He said with yet another smirk and playful shrug.

Heather tried to keep herself from blushing though failing miserably as she commented seriously,

"Hyde's enjoying the attention. I for one remember that you were a cat, and that we just met today. For all I know, you could be hacking up a ball of fur any moment now. No offense intended." Heather liked to think of herself as a woman of reason and science, who wasn't easily swayed by her own emotions.

"Eh, you could. Or you could assume I'm just a devilishly handsome man with renewed vigor and..._potency_." He said, letting the words practically roll off his tongue. But he appeared to be done with his flirtatious comments as he headed towards the door.

"I need to walk around - on two legs. Been some time. If you change your mind, which I'm sure you will, you need just say so!" He proclaimed with a small flourish before he was out the door and down the hall.

As he started walking, she followed him, and she said as she walked with him, "I'm only walking with you in case you fall over, or need help," She knew that if it had been a long time since he walked on two legs, then he would no doubt be shaky, so she figured that he would need the help.

Cheshire only smirked in response. And true to her words, he did oft stumble or trip over his own two legs. The weight distribution issue that came with practically losing half your legs would be crippling for some time. Heather managed to catch him, and help him stand up, holding his arms during the incident.

"Ah, yes, thank you." He said graciously as he tried walking up and down the hall once more. This was so familiar and yet so new at the same time. A limbo of emotion and ownership at the same time.

"You're welcome." She walked with him up and down the hall once again. She could see that his was going through a lot of emotion, and she remained patiently silent, smiling a little. It seemed that he got what he wanted, and she was happy for him.

"Now then, let's sit down for a bit. I'm still getting used to all my old faculties." He said as he tried walking back to the sitting room where he could rest his legs. "So, doctor." He began casually, "I assume you're in servitude of Rumpelstiltskin to 'free' yourself from Hyde, yes?" He guessed, scratching his chin as he spoke.

Once he was sitting down, she sat down in a different chair, next to his, and when he asked about her deal with Rumpelstiltskin, she answered "You are correct. My condition in the deal was that I become Rumpelstiltskin's apprentice and that I would never go back to my own world,"

"Steep deal. Undoubtedly he'll try and find some way to benefit himself at the sake of your own happiness." He said, leaning back in his chair as he spoke.

"As long as they're safe from Hyde...that's all that matters," She muttered to herself with a nod, looking at the floor.

"Does Hyde...wish to come out now?" He asked, straightening up his posture. "I am still quite intrigued at the prospect of a different you." He said with a small smile, hoping to show there were no ulterior motives.

Heather lifted her head and gave Cheshire a look as though he had just grown another head, and gained pink polka dots on green skin. She answered him "Yes, but she's not coming out, because 1) I'd rather not lose my virginity over a fling, and 2) she'd kill you once she's done with you. She's already ranting about praying mantises in here," She poked at her head when she spoke the last two words,

She could hear Hyde whine,

"_Awww! Didja have to tell him that, Heather? You're no fun at all!_"

"Well, there's nothing wrong with the first part!" Cheshire objected with his trademark grin.

Jekyll glared at Cheshire's objection and said "A respectable scientist such as myself does not go and sleep around like that,"

"I mean, it's no question you're attractive." He went on confidently, sure to offer just the smallest of winks.

When he complimented her, she managed to keep away a blush and she looked away a bit saying

"Thank you."

She never thought herself to be attractive. As a scientist, not many men were interested in her. She figured it was because she wasn't the type to be an idiotic yet loving housewife that they wanted.

"Do I count as sleeping around? Hm, interesting." He said, just now hearing her last comment, and abruptly switched moods. No doubt trying to get used to this new form once again, his behaviors and movements were erratic at best.

"What-No! We haven't gone that far! UGH!" Jekyll blushed.

"I guess you preferred the cat, eh?" He asked, deathly serious.

She had no answer for him. She just rubbed her temples in irritation, trying to get rid of the rising headache. She was getting quite frustrated at how easily confused she was getting and she asked "All of your flirting is making me dizzy," She then decided to ask him, "Don't you have family you want to go and see as a human?"

Cheshire's grin was quite plain as Heather seemed to have trouble comprehending the art of flirting. His smile was, however, quickly lost when she mentioned family.

"No..." He responded coldly to her question, his eyes narrowed and his mouth curved into a deep frown.

Memories hit him like a slap in the face as his hand instinctively went to the key around his neck, fingers enclosing around the cool, metal surface. A shudder began to overtake his body as the memories practically exploded in front of his face. A glint of tears seemed to create a sheen over his eyes as all the memories he had hidden away before were releasing against him. Jekyll blinked when he answered coldly but noticed his facial expression. She felt horrible as she saw tears pour down his face. All because she asked about his family. She must've brought up some really horrible memories.

_That very same day that his fate was sealed. The look on her face as they laid her head down on the cold stone of the headsman's block, the bite of the Executioner's axe as it felt for its mark before rising to strike._

Her pleading eyes had met his in the courtyard.

_"Help me, please..." She had tearfully asked of him, the one task he could not fulfill as both of them knew what was about to happen._

The Queen, that wretched creature on her throne; as beautiful as sin and as cruel as venom had given the fatal command.

Everything stood still, a terrible silence as time itself groaned to a halt, as if giving a moment's peace.

The Headsman's axe rose above his head as it prepared to deliver the killing stroke. The girl on the block, a teenager no older than 16 desperately looked about for her brother's face, a final comfort...but he had disappeared. Turned and ran, played craven, turned coward.

He had ran faster than he ever had his entire life, the only sound being his boots on the stone pathway and the sound of each labored breath and heartbeat pounding in his ears. The sound of the axe carving though muscle, bone, and skin resounded throughout the courtyard. He never stopped running...never stopped...never stopped.

On the surface, Cheshire struggled to keep his composure together as tears seemed to flow down with every breath. He had buried the memories in time, drowned them in his sorrow, and yet they still lived on.

Heather looked sadly and she said to him sincerely, as she held his hand again,

"I'm so sorry..."

Of course...what good were apologies? They weren't any good at all, she knew that. An apology wasn't going to fix the wrong she had committed.

Cheshire had turned away from her, too proud to let her see him in so broken a state. His hand reached up to the key again. This...last memento, this only remaining piece of her he had left.

"Memory is a curse more often than a blessing." He finally said, his voice seeming to gain some composure. "The past must be paid for. The cost of forgetting is high." He said, as if to convince himself. "This is...truly embarrassing." He finally said actually looking at her again. "Our worst traitor can be ourselves at times. Emotion is a necessary evil. It can build or destroy as it will." He said, seeming to act more like the Cat she knew as he recovered from his small breakdown.

Heather was silent as he spoke, not as a flirt, but as the clever cat...er, man...whatever she had met earlier. She sighed and said intellectually, trying to console Cheshire,

"Memory...is what you make of it, but it's important to not lose any of them. It is only through memory that we can do anything to honor those who are gone,"

"Only a few find the way; some don't recognize it when they do; some don't ever want to." Cheshire responded, equally as intellectual. He grabbed the key, pulling it up and over his head.

He held his hand out towards Heather, wanting her to take it. "This belonged to my sister. It was the key to her diary. A kindly guard gave it to me in the dungeon after her execution." He said, somewhat revealing the reasoning behind his emotional breakdown.

Heather blinked when he took the key off around his neck and held it towards her. After he mentioned what the key was and who it was from, as she held it and looked at it, she handed the key back to Cheshire, knowing how important it was to him. She said as she gave the key back to Cheshire,

"I see. Once again, I am terribly sorry for your loss."

"Duly noted." He replied, taking the key and returning it to its spot around his neck. "Her death was my punishment. I was not, shall we say, civil with the Queen. She didn't like my attitude. So, being the malignant bitch that she was, she had my sister executed to teach me manners. Surprisingly enough, that didn't help my mood. And soon it was my head on the chopping block." He confessed, his voice sharp, but not directed at her.

Heather listened carefully, and she found that she didn't like this Queen he mentioned at all. She commented sincerely after he had told her "That's horrible. Why is such a woman like that Queen?"  
>She quickly amended "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."<p>

"No, no, it's fine. The Queen rules under totalitarian regime. She is Queen because there are none able to challenge her power. I was the closest thing to a rebel she ever had to deal with. Even earned a nickname...The _'Dark of Heartness'_." He said in a dark tone, obviously proud of such a title.

Heather muttered "Right. And if anyone else who could challenge her came along, then they'd be too scared to do it," She noticed that he seemed proud of his nickname, but she didn't comment on it. She asked "Where does this Queen rule anyways?"

"Wonderland." The Cat responded bluntly. "Aptly named, if you ask me. Demonstrates her humility and self-sacrifice for the people." He said sarcastically, an edge of bitterness to his voice. "Though she wishes to expand her rule, she is still limited to her own land. But I believe she will try and _spread out_ as much as she can. Absolute rule is her destiny, as she believes." Cheshire explained seriously. "But enough of the Queen. The memories hurt me. I need a new name." He said, abruptly changing the subject.

Heather agreed "You're right. How terribly rude of me! I'd be happy to help you come up with a new name. Let's see...I don't suppose there are any initials on your person...like on a handkerchief or something like that?"

"Not that I recall." Cheshire responded, obviously confused as he was thinking hard. "I like words and names that begin with the letter 'A'. Ansem, Alexandre, Arcade, Adamska, Andrew, Aiden, Albert, Adrien, things like that. Or maybe names with 'S', those are good too." He said, quite erratically as he was bouncing off names quickly on the spot.

Heather thought through all of the names she had ever heard carefully, and suggested "Let's see...How about Axel? Axel Stevenson?"

She thought the name Axel suited Cheshire, but of course, she knew that it was entirely up to him.

"Axel? That sounds preposterous!" He exclaimed, looking almost disgusted. "We need something more...more refined. Formal. Alexandre, yes...that will work well enough." He said, as if speaking to no-one in particular.

"Alexandre Frost." He finally said after thinking a few moments. "Classy, refined, inspiring, intimidating. I like it!" He proclaimed with a dark grin.

Heather nodded and said, trying to ignore the dark grin on his face, "Alright then. Alexandre Frost. It's nice to meet you," She figured she might as well say it. It's as good of an introduction that she was going to get.

"Indeed." He responded with a smile and a short bow, taking her hand in his and kissing it with another flirtatious smile.

Heather blushed again when he smiled, bowed, and kissed her hand with a flirtatious smile. She knew that he was going to flirt with her again, so she cleared her throat, and she suggested "Why don't we go look around the castle some more?"

"Yes, let us be off." He agreed cheerily enough, heading out the door.

**Author's Note:  
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**There, that wasn't too bad was it? And now we know that The Cheshire Cat is nothing but a big player :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Black and Red

**Author's Note:**

**So here we have a non-cannon character and a brief appearance of some other non-cannon characters. These are a bit obscure but rest assured they are from a fairy tale (anyone hear of the story of Baba Yaga?) BUT! I countered the obscure with Red! Hurray for arguably the best female character in the show! (Shh, don't tell Regina!) Anyway, the different stories are starting to come together now as you will see by the end of this chapter. Enjoy!**

The first sense awakening to the sleeping shade was touch...small hopping feet, very slight, over the gnarly chest plate of his armor. Soon it travelled up onto his chin, and after that, his forehead.

_*hop hop hop*_

*hop hop hop*

*HOP HOP HOP*

_"CHIRP CHIRP CHIR-"_

The small little bird didn't have enough time to let out its final chirp, when a hand reached up and grasped it in a gnarly gauntlet. Sitting it in the grass, faded fingers of sunlight weren't quite enough to fight back the darkness of his presence. Brushing some loose grass from his long black hair, he was just about to set his helm back on when he noticed the broken thing in his hand, as it dropped onto the grass noiselessly. It was...a dumb animal, this bird, for sure...to have ignored the darkness of his presence. Against all instinct, ignored the barrenness, how this particular section under the trees was darker than even the deeper parts of this forest, much colder. The limp body breathed the few breaths of a dying songbird, wings folded along its body...it hadn't even been ready to fly, and now much of it was crushed.

Feeling guilty for this one dumb animal, Night set his helm onto his lap and reached for the broken bird. The small bird didn't move, but its heartbeat did quicken at the return touch of his gauntlet. Its small, yellow chest was moving in and out rapidly now, almost painfully so. This was…good, it had a strong will to live. Bringing it up to his mouth, its heart beating even harder, he breathed a gentle sigh over it. A faint black mist flowed from his mouth and into the bird. He could feel its pulse quicken on his hand…then slow, calm. Would this be the first animal he'd have healed?

Soon, it sprung onto its feet in a lively manner, hopping along his gauntleted hand and up his arm, beginning its little merry song. Or course, his eyes didn't miss that its own were now glowing a bright red, each of its feathers changing, thinning and pointing out like little blades and razors. Shocked, and yet not really, it flew up into the air just a foot up over his head before an arrow pierced through it and pinned it to the tree just a few feet away. The arrow shone brightly for only a moment, but that was enough to know just who shot the thing.

"Dear friend of mine, how are you this fine day...of mine?" The man stepped out from the brush, clad in fancy white nobility garb, and at the same time…the area in which Night sat seemed brighter that it had previously, but only slightly. The man he knew as Day reached over and plucked the arrow and songbird off the tree, then wrenched the abomination's body off of his arrow scornfully. The body was held up and away from himself, the golden haired man leaned down and tried his best to white the foul blood off on the taller grass, before speaking up again, "So, my friend…was that another attempt at 'healing', now?"

Night knew it wasn't intentionally asked in a smug manner, but it felt much that way, even if a small creature's life was involved, "Please, don't spare me the details. What are your theories as to what I had been doing?" Where he sat, he didn't have to look at his friend, to see his expression or look in his eyes...he didn't care for them right now.

The white clad man returned the now clean arrow back to his silvery quiver, and wagged a finger out, like he was addressing a child, "Tut tut, friend. If you need a healer, you should've come to me, I'd have been happy to help!"

"This I know, yes. Even so, I'd like to try and right my own mistakes when I can, even if it only ends...badly." He could almost smirk coldly at this,

_"At least I don't have to say I didn't try." _

"It didn't matter what happened in the past few minutes, I didn't even have to be here. That bird was already dead."

Day looked over at his friend Night, now securing his helmet, "Well…I apologize, but I really must be heading off, friend! There is a damsel in distress somewhere nearby, and I really must get going! If you see Sun later today, let her know that the North Wind is still very much interested in courting her. Fair well, friend!" With that, the white clad man stepped through more bushes till he was out of sight…and Night was once more left alone in his darkness. Letting out a louder sigh, he wondered once more why he had bothered waking up in the middle of the morning. Ah, yes, the bird…it had woken him up, and now he wouldn't be able to return to his slumber because of it. Night got up onto his feet, let out a loud trill of a whistle, before leaning against the side of the tree. In the distance, the sound of his faithful horse's hoof beats, louder every second.

XXX

Hidden underneath a hollowed out log in a small, empty trench a dark-haired girl stretched out her limbs as the first of the afternoon sun crept over the log and tickled at her nose. Brushing at her nose with her hand as if it were a paw, Red eventually climbed out of the small trench and rolled out onto the small open area of grass and stared up at the sky, watching the fluffy white clouds roll lazily by. Sure the moment could have been described as 'peaceful' or even 'beautiful' but nothing, in Red's opinion, could compare to that of the late night sky she had spent the previous night running under...as a wolf.

There was just something about the darkness of the sky and fullness of the moon that got Red's adrenaline pumping in the best of ways. She wondered often why she let herself turn back into a human most of the time anyway, especially now when her heart hurt the most.

Reaching into the ditch, Red pulled out her red cloak that had been bundled up and threw it on, pulling the hood up and over her head and began to aimlessly walk through the woods. It had been a few months now since Red had stayed in an actual home, and even longer than that since she had slept in her own home with her Granny. Ever since Snow White's passing, she just couldn't bring herself to being around people. She felt responsible, and with that, came the guilt.

Red had no idea how far she had wandered, distracted by her aimless thoughts, however the sound of a squealing bird caught her attention quickly and her keen eyes happened upon the scene of an arrow piercing the strange bird to a tree just moments before. With her dark eyes narrowing, she followed the projectile from where the arrow came and saw a man in the distance garbed in White, a 'cute' effort of matching his horse she supposed. She was seconds away from tearing off her cloak and letting her wolf form take over to nip at the beast's legs as some sort of penance for killing such an innocent creature, but the shadows of the forest instead caught her attention.

At first she didn't even see the man standing in the center of where the shadows seemed to be coming from, even with her wolf eye-sight it took a bit of adjusting to find his outline. It didn't help that he was wearing all black either, but that's when her sense of scent kicked in...something smelt...off about him.

"H-hello?" She called out to him tentatively, taking a few steps closer towards the strange man, no longer interested in the man in white who had just taken off on his horse.

There had been an appropriate sort of...stillness to the area affected by his presence. The bird had previously caught him off-guard, followed up quickly by his 'friend' Day...Night could almost believe that bad 'things' came in threes, especially when he saw a red riding hood.

Thankfully, it wasn't Sun, but that meant dealing with what would happen next. There were certain expected behaviors associated with meeting normal civilians of this or another kingdom, most would just turn back around, or gasp and turn back around, or faint. With his gnarly black armor worn in its entirety, it only puzzled him when she drew nearer still.

"Tell me, miss...be you thief, or murderer?" Such a simple question, with a simple answer. Unasked. If Night wasn't so, just so hopeful that this innocent enough looking human wasn't a criminal, maybe he'd have asked her. One thing the shade disliked was inspiring dishonesty in his actions, in himself.

The question seemed further and further away with each passing second, so he decided to settle for another, "What are you still doing here...?!" The question was asked in a harsh whisper, but without a single living creature within the affected area, it came out as clear as day and as piercing as an arrow. Night regarded her from where he stood, expecting an...interesting response.

The brunette let out a laugh, a strange yet welcoming contrast to the quietness of the woods. She walked closer still to Night, though her steps were cautious; not because of fright, just wariness. She lowered her red hood, letting her dark hair fall free to her shoulder blades and ran her fingers through her locks a few times before she felt that her hair was sitting right.

"You mean you can't tell?" She asked, her tone teasing and light.

"Look, I normally don't run into people this deep in the woods, the least I could do was see if you were okay." She added on, her tone changing to that of seriousness. She stopped walking when she was about twenty feet away from the looming dark figure, and what was stranger still was that she wasn't able to see him any better than when she was a hundred feet away; despite her keen eyesight. The shadows that covered him were just too...dark, but his presence didn't feel as such.

The easiness of her tone, of her way of speaking, her line of questioning, her laughing...

"Don't you know it's the nature of an injured beast to want to be left alone?!" Night didn't mean to snap at her like this, but jealousy inside of him boiled over. This woman, here...she could save her laughter, her questioning, her _teasing_ for somewhere more pleasant, brighter, surrounded with friends and family. Relaxing his tense shoulders, he spoke more quietly as a follow up to his momentary outburst, crossing his arms over his chest soundlessly...which was 'odd', since the gnarliness of his armor should have made for something with a more distracting array of sound, "Forgive me, for such an outburst...I am fine, I..."

As if on cue, his black horse trotted over from behind the bush to stand beside him. From all angles, this was just a regular horse in every respects, but their past journeys together remonstrated such notions. Reaching to gently run a hand over the horse's shiny mane, Night turned his helmed head to face the girl once more, and more confidently this time, "An array of criminal and fiend hide in the darkest reaches of this forest. Are you a fiend, or are you perhaps a fool...?"

A muscle in Red's jaw clenched at his initial outburst however the arrival of the horse had her keep her tongue. Strange, she didn't hear or smell the horse approaching like she normally would have. This caused her brow to quirk in question as she watched the man pet the animal.

Stepping away from his horse, he stepped soundlessly over to the already decaying corpse of the corrupted bird. Pointing down at it, "Tell me, are you a dumb animal such as this?" Asking her rather coldly, looking her in the eye, he shifted a boot onto the black stained creature and crushed it under foot into the dirt.

She was about to answer his question with a rather snide remark but again was cut off short, this time by his actions. The crunching of tiny, hollow bones reached her sensitive ears quickly and she was unable to help but run a few paces towards him angrily.

"STOP!" Now she was ten feet away where she slowed down and eventually held her position, even more leery now upon her approach. "The bird is already dead, you need not harm it more...that's just cruel." She knew that she probably sounded like a stupid little girl to him, but if there was one thing she couldn't stand it was disrespect towards a creature, living or not. Without even so much as waiting for an apology from him (which she highly doubted she'd get anyway) she threw up her hands in defeat.

"Well it seems you're fine, so I'll be on my way." She jabbed, sounding angrier with him than anything now, annoyed with his actions. She should have figured him for one of the Evil Queen's guards long ago, he matched the persona though the outfit didn't quite match up. With an irritated shake of her head, indicating to him that she was disappointed in him, she turned on her heel to walk in the opposite direction, pulling her red hood back up and over her head.

Under that helmet, Night's eye didn't leave the red of the girl's hood till it was engulfed by the green of the forest as she left through the brush. The forest may have been a dangerous place, like he had previously mentioned, but...something told him that the young woman would be alright. Now, lifting a boot off of the bird, there was nothing more than bones left where it had fallen. Crouching down, the gauntlets on his hands dispersed into the air, like a fine black mist. With his fingers, carefully picking up each bone and bone fragments, he set them on the palm of his other hand. Soon, he had a handful of bones...

Going over to the tree it had been previously pinned to, with the gnarly metal of his armored boot, he kicked a little hole into the dirt in front of it. This would be...enough...

There wasn't going to be any more time wasted in that forest. Previously, he had thought that it would have been a safe enough place to hide out and take his rest...the presence of Day, and then the woman in red had shattered the idea. Mounting his horse, Night spurned it into a slow sort of trot for now. The clip-clopping of the hooves on the dirt path, crunching a few prematurely fallen leaves here or there, combined with the rustling of the wind through the leafy tree branches, created a calming sort of ambience. Even with the darkness of his presence, the fingers of the shy sun poking through the leafy canopy made this horse ride entirely enjoyable...even if the lack of animal presence (save for his faithful horse) did make the experience yet another lonely one.

It was only a few minutes on horseback, traveling through the forest...that he noticed a steady change to the air. The sparse sun peeking through the trees shouldn't have provided this sort of increase in heat. Proceeding onwards, the heat was increasing steadily, and the air was heavier with a portion of smoke. Bringing his horse to a gallop, he found himself riding into the middle of a forest fire. There were powers he could use to end this, and then there was the balance he firmly believed in maintaining. In order to maintain this balance, naturally occurring or intentional, he would do nothing and let it burn. Let the trees burn, the earth be scorched, the air be soiled by the ash...hopefully, it'd run its course and exhaust quickly.

Steering his horse a little bit away from some of the greater fire, the black horse galloped and leapt over some burning shrubbery. It seemed like the fire was almost alive and wicked; already engulfing a section of the forest with ease and speed. The shadow didn't have a heart, but _something_ stopped for a fraction of a second when he remembered that the girl in red was still somewhere, trudging through the brush and grass...the now _burning_ brush and grass.

Without even knowing it, he'd halted his horse's movement as the realization struck him...but as soon as he realized this, Night got his horse moving again. Why did it matter that she was still somewhere in there? It would be up to...'fate' to decide whether she lived or died, not him. Would he do this every time he happened upon a stranger in the woods in need of help? Of course not, the notion of doing such things seemed meaningless. If they were meant to die, they'd die, and that would be the end of it.

Spurring his horse into a faster gallop, he cursed under his breath and yanked the reins to turn the horse swiftly around, going back down the direction he remembered the girl in red walking. With his reasoning, his actions _weren't exactly_ outrageous. If she was meant to die, he'd arrive too late, having wasted his time. And then, for sure, that would be that. And if she wasn't, if she wasn't...

Night didn't even know anymore. Cursing more furiously under his breath, he rode on.

Red didn't know where she was going, but that wasn't new by any means as of late. She hadn't been home in months and still didn't plan on returning home. In fact, she was sure that she never would. But what was she to do now? She could always return to Snow's resting place and say her goodbye's...again...but she wasn't sure if she would be able to bear seeing the seven dwarves just as wrecked about it as she was. Not to mention Charming...just what the hell was she supposed to say to him if she had accidentally ran into him there?

_Hey sorry, I let Snow meet Regina on her own because I thought my boyfriend was a werewolf and was trying to help him...so it's kind of my fault she's dead..._

Red shook her head and sighed. Somehow, she just didn't see that conversation going well.

Red had been so lost in thought that her nose hadn't even picked up on the sense that there was something 'wrong' in the air. Or maybe it was because she still sensed the 'strange' about that shadow guy she met in the glen that kept her senses knocked out of place. Despite the reason, she was unprepared when the corner of her eyes caught a flickering yellow light.

Spinning on her heel, Red turned to face the small amount of flames that had crept up on her, though it didn't take long for the foot-high burning grass to become a wall of blazing heat. Blinking, the only thing Red could do was think on what had caused a fire and was frozen in place. It wasn't nearly hot or dry enough in the forest...and there wasn't any lightning...so _someone_ had to have done _something_.

Night's eyes may have been set on searching for the red of the young woman's hood, but the forest was now a feast of hot colors for the eyes. Red, blazing orange, flashing yellows, and more red. It was bright, even with the darkness that cloaked him, the fire licked the green leaves and made them into hot ash almost instantly filling the air of dust and smoke. The heat made him...dizzy, even a little _tired_. He wouldn't die in this fire, but he was out of his element. Shaking his head from what felt like a fog in his mind, Night scanned the immediate area as best he could, before bringing his horse to the next area.

Quite suddenly, his horse went from a fast trot to a complete stop. If this were any other horse, Night would have suspected its stop from fear...but with this particular horse, he knew better. Scanning the general area once more, he still didn't see the girl...but he was sure that the horse must have known better. Dismounting, he stared over at the blaze of a particularly large tree on fire. If the girl was in the immediate area, or close enough, she'd definitely hear this. Raising a boot

_-BOOM BOOM, CRACK—_

Night kicked the tree down with nothing but brute force. Watching it crash into another tree, more of the forest becoming open to observation once the tree was no longer standing in his way.

A cracking sound that reminded Red of thunder pounded in her ears suddenly, giving her wolf-like talents milliseconds to react. Instinct took over as she sprinted to the right and took a dive; a thick, burning tree branch crashing to the forest floor narrowly missing the tip of her boot as she lunged out of the way. Cursing and wiping the dirt from her chin, Red scrambled back up onto her feet and paused to collect her bearings, noticing right away that two or three trees had fallen over from the burning fire, encircling her in a wall of fire. She knew this forest though, there had to be an out…

Well…she _would_ have known where to go if the entire forest didn't seem to be on fire. Everything looked different no matter where she looked. The once lush green trees were now torches of burning light, all looking exactly alike in their orange and red rather than individualizing themselves with the various shades of green. The smoke entering her nose kept any familiar scents well away as well as providing enough coverage to block the sun from view and was unable to tell North from South.

For the first time in months, panic shot through Red's blood like a quick-spreading venom, and a fleeting thought of ripping off her red hood and leaving it to burn just so she could become her recently favored side began to become more and more tempting. What other choice did she have? But was it worth losing the cloak forever?

Through the combination of light and heat from the fire, Night could see...the solid red of a hood, and some dark hair tumbling out as she seemed to be searching in the other direction. At least, up until the tree domino effect frightened her quite a bit.

Forgoing the idea of knocking over another tree, and losing his patience with the heat (especially since he wore his gnarly shadow armor fully), Night brought forth a blanket of darkness. It swept over the flame between them, stifling the life of it, the heat and light. It rolled forward like a thick black carpet.

Red turned to face Night as she felt the heat immediately starting to die down at her back and when her eyes fell upon the shadowed stranger the look on her face gave obvious surprise, even causing her to stumble back a few steps.

The distinct blackness emitting from the man was a drastic enough contrast against the sunburst of bright colors, she was sure that she had come across a Wraith. With her breath caught in her throat, she looked at the 'road' of darkness leading straight to him and then back to the fiery depths of the forest. Burning alive didn't sound too pleasant, but neither did having her soul ripped from her bones. But...she wasn't marked, at least she didn't think she was...so maybe she had a better chance with the Wraith...

"Ah shit..."

Red squared off the eerie blanket of darkness, taking only a half-second to breathe in deeply. She began running straight towards the figure, her hands busy pulling at her cloak until she managed to get it off completely. She jumped into the air, un-naturally high for a human, and threw the cloak out in front of her. In the blink of an eye, the slender dark-haired girl had undergone a complete transformation while in mid-jump, landing on all fours with the red cloak caught and clenched tightly in her jaws.

The black wolf landed delicately on the blackened forest floor, running a few paces past the looming black figure until curiosity got the better of her. Gradually slowing, the wolf turned her massive head to look over her shoulder at the figure, her bright yellow eyes instantly recognizing the figure to not be a Wraith, but the same man she had met in the woods earlier that day. It was impossible to see because of the helm he wore, but she could _feel_ the two of them making eye contact.

Initially shocked by the girl's transformation...suddenly, her lack of fear earlier made much more sense to Night. Werewolves were nocturnal, which would explain why she hadn't been bothered by his dark presence initially. Her comfort lay in her nature, not the nature of a crime...he couldn't fault her for that. And Night basically, more or less, tried to push her away from where and how she felt safe. Like...trying to force a wolf to stop howling at the moon. He...couldn't do that anymore.

The sudden crack and boom of yet another tree falling and crashing down shook Red from her sudden daze. She turned her head from the man to the path out in front of her, instantly recognizing it now with the help of the shadows behind her. There was a small village not too far from here, just over a small river that would be sure to keep the fire from burning it down to the ground. She wouldn't head straight to the village, however, and more-or-less find a secluded barn to sleep in for the night. She turned her head back to the man and emitted a muffled _woof_ through the cloak between her teeth, jerking her head as if to say, "this way" and (for the moment) ignoring all previous thoughts of the disrespectful bird corpse destroyer. Despite what he _really_ was, he was still alive and breathing, and she couldn't let herself leave him to the mercy of the forest.

Staying in the same spot for a few moments, and feeling them like years, Night turned to follow the werewolf's movement...his eyes connected briefly with hers. She followed up her staring with a head gesture and a woof to follow...and with this, Night remembered his doubts. As a creature of the night, she wasn't exactly aware of the reason he'd avoid what humans usually thought of as the safety of civilization. His presence could make every small shadow in the town become the possibility of vagabonds, deadly creatures waiting to crawl out from underneath, and omen of illness.

Well, at this time and place, he thought for only a moment...he should follow her. It wasn't that he wanted to terrorize the village people; the townsfolk. But it had become apparent to Night that she wasn't going straight into town, especially when in wolf form. This person...wanted him to trust her. Even after previously...misjudging her, and driving her off like he did, she still only wanted his trust. Even after he thought her a possible runaway thief, murderer, even if the thought was only brief on the initial meeting.

"...haaah..." Such a strange turn of events. It seemed...the girl wasn't going to die today. Letting out a low pitched whistle, his horse trotted on over and passed them, moving on ahead. Turning back to face the werewolf, he held a gnarly gauntlet out and made a gesture, "Go on, then. Take the lead, and I shall follow close behind."

Red nodded once, her silent way of approving of the man's decision and turned her large body around to trot down dirt path that would lead them to the outskirts of the village.

**Author's Note:**

**I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that most of you have never read the short story of Baba Yaga, so to explain Night's character a bit more, he is just that...the literal personification of nightfall. He was really only mentioned during a line or two of the short story of Baba Yaga, but I wanted a bit more...fantasy in this fantasy land so I thought about taking that on. Also, a MAJOR thanks to my friend Major Ursa for the idea and inspiration behind Night, she literally did most of the work here. Thanks Ursa!**


	6. Chapter 6: Blood and Understanding

**Author's Note:**

**MORE ACTION!** **Enough with the fluffy character development! Haha! Enjoy my lovely readers!**

They were the same nightmares that haunted her for the last week; the events of her wedding repeating over and over but this time, other memories of the past making their way through. Gaston's death and memories of Rumpelstiltskin…It was as if her mind was confused, torn. Although emotions such as those shouldn't have existed; Gaston was dead and Rumpelstiltskin had pushed her away.

The whisper's entered her ears, it sounded like they were a part of her memories and dreams; voices of surprise, intrigue, happiness and even excitement. The steady clopping of the horse's hooves, the subtle rise and fall as the large animal moved. The villagers watched, momentarily forgetting the fire that burned within the forest nearby as Mushu slowly trotted through the town. The small woman watched them all, as if she was looking for something, someone.

Mushu's head snapped to her left as she heard Belle's name being called out from a distance, an older, stalky man running through the villagers, pushing through them. She pulled back on the reins, the horse not stopping immediately.

Belle's name was still being called out by the man as he approached. It sounded distant to her ears, slowly it grew closer, louder until the voice boomed in her ears. But that wasn't the reason Belle's eyes shot open. It was the burning pain that seared through her right hand. Looking down at her limb she watched in fear as tears swelled in her eyes. The bones in her hands began breaking and reforming and black claws breaking through her human fingernails. The pain travelled through her veins, up her arm and neck, across her chest and face until finally her eyes began to glow in an unnatural manner.

Raising her head she looked around, the buildings were familiar, hauntingly so. Belle's name was called once more as she looked over in fear. Her father approached, her sisters not far behind. She hadn't time to say anything as she struggled through the pain, attempting to get off the horse. The animal reared in fear and pain as her newly forming claws dug into its flesh. The animal knocked her off, Belle wincing as she hit the stone path, Mushu attempting to calm the large horse. Belle felt a soft touch, her back arched as her spine pushed out, viciously pressing against the fabric of her dress that began to tear. She met her father's gaze briefly, her eyes vicious. A scream of pain escaped her as more fabric began to tear. Her body began to change more rapidly, slowly expanding and growing larger. Belle tried to move, run…to get away but the pain had her pinned.

Her dress was sprawled across the stone road in rags. In Belle's place there was something else, it was large, thick, covered in dark brown fur, similar to the color of Belle's hair. It panted for a few moments. Slowly the beast moved, it began to rise, at first just on four legs, like a dog. Although much larger than it seemed moments ago it wasn't till it came to its full height on its two hind legs that the people of the village began to panic. The beasts long tail swaying from side to side as it slowly turned around. Belle's father watched in true horror as he slowly stepped back. Its eyes were a burning blue, the only thing left that was truly Belle. However this gaze held hunger, a great amount of hunger. Fully turning its body around the beast looked at all the humans that began to scatter, a low growl rumbling in its throat.

"Look out! That beast killed Gaston!" One villager shouted in terror as he tried to sway the children from approaching the beast in their juvenile curiosity. It had only been assumed that Belle had died after chasing after this very same beast on the day of her wedding. However watching the beauty transform into the beast with their very own eyes, the villagers were starting to piece together what had really happened.

Looking down at the closest human, the beast approached the elderly man. He stumbled backwards, the beast dropping back on all fours with one arm on either side of the man. Maurice, Belle's father looked up in horror, tears rolling down his cheeks. It snarled at the man, fangs baring and dripping with saliva. It roared at the man and before being able to proceed with the kill, the creature's head shot to the right, an irritating pain stabbing at its shoulder. A weapon of some sorts stuck out from the fur, the creature grabbed it and yanked it out as it roared at its assailant.

The small female, Mushu, ran towards the horse and quickly jumped on it. Spurring the large horse they tore off, the beast following behind with a surprising amount of speed for its size.

XXX

It didn't take long for Red, accompanied by Night and his horse, to make it to the river that divided the land from the forest and the village. With a tremendous bounding leap, Red cleared the seven-foot-wide river and landed deftly on the other side, turning to look back at Night for a moment who was still a pretty far ways back. A sudden new scent filled the wolf's nose, causing her to put the red cloak down delicately on the unburned green grass and sniff at the air. The villagers...a few miles down the stream...something had them in a panic and it was too intense and immediate for it to be just the fire that slowly burned its way towards their village. There was another scent...something Red hadn't come across before...something with bad breath...

Keeping pace behind the werewolf, there were a few moments where Night alternated between walking and brisk walking. There wasn't much of a strain, especially since they were now out of the burning woods, and the night he personified was slowly nearing. Coming to a river, and watching the wolf leap over it...he couldn't just bring himself to do similar, since he wanted to maintain his intimidating armor, even if it did restrict much of his movements. Walking around or looking for a small bridge could take some time, but he didn't want to have his new companion wait too long for him. And so, Night dropped into the water with a very audible splash.

A full minute passed, still water and no bubbles, before the top of his helmet became visible as he trudged out of the water and onto the mud of the shores. Ignoring how wet he had become, the water still pouring out of his gnarly armor in sections, Night resumed following the werewolf...but after a moment, she dropped her cloak onto some unburned grass to sniff the air carefully.

If it were possible to identify when a wolf was shaking its head and sighing, that was exactly what Red was doing. She pawed at the red cloak on the grass until it was hidden amongst the roots of a nearby bush and turned to look at Night before her glowing eyes looked back to the village. Whatever this...'_Wraith_' decided to do now was all on him, but Red couldn't just stand idly by when a village was in immediate danger. So, in having no other way to communicate this to the man in black, Red turned to bound down the path that led to the small village.

After what must have been a moment for thought, the werewolf haphazardly went to hide her cloak in a hole dug under some bushes...which felt rather urgent, especially since the forest was pretty much still on fire, and had the potential to spread. This was proven by the burnt grass. The bush wasn't safe, the cloak wasn't either. Turning to point this out, the werewolf was already bounding away to whatever emergency seemed to distract her away from hiding her important personal belonging. Reaching down to the bush, Night brushed the dirt off of the cloak carefully.

It seems like it was made of an interesting material, and was kept in careful condition. Brushing off more dirt from it, Night dispersed the material darkness of his gnarled armor long enough to tuck the folded red cloak away. Letting out another long sigh, something that seemed to happen more frequently with his new friend, the shade went and followed her down the path.

XXX

The chase continued, the beast growing frustrated. Chasing prey was indeed an exciting task but the fun was over. The large creature picked up the pace, going even faster than before. It began to startle the horse, clawing and biting at its legs. The horse carried on and the beast roared in annoyance. Running next to the horse the horned creature rammed the horse into a nearby home. The wooden walls to the cottage gave way to the force. Regaining itself the beast stood on its hind legs, the slightest hunch in its back as the house was not tall enough for its eight foot height.

There were quick footsteps and pained breaths. Turning around the beast snarled as it caught a second of Mushu's disappearing figure. Dropping to all fours it roared at the female that ran. A snort of irritation followed as it leapt forward and towards the young woman. Quickly catching up to the small female the beast pinned her to the ground. One clawed paw holding her down with ease. It snarled at the woman fangs bared, saliva dripping from its powerful jaws.

A second, vicious snarl resounded through the fresh night air. With a sudden _whoosh_ and a blur of black fur, a wolf had bounded to the scene seemingly out of nowhere, jumping over the helpless woman and lunging at the beast that was seconds away from ending the human's life. Being half the size of the beast, however, Red didn't so much as make the beast stumble backwards a few steps. With her mouth open upon the initial attack, however, Red's jaws clenched down on the beasts throat getting nothing but fur as its thick coat seemed to prove to be a lot denser than Red had been counting on.

Taken by surprise the beast stepped back as it felt a fair amount of weight on its back. Feeling the wolf's fangs pull at fur the beast growled and stood up straight. Having difficulty grabbing the wolf the beast continued to reach. Finally it was able to grab hold of something. Pulling the wolf from its tail the beast managed to rip the animal off its back and toss it some distance. Looking at the canine the beast growled a warning as it stood its ground; fangs bared eyes never leaving the wolf's.

The wolf yelped in pain upon being thrown to the ground, but Red was back on her four legs in seconds, standing her own ground against the beast twice her size with her own lips curled back, baring her canines threateningly. It was only now that Red got a good look at the beast and knew for certain that some sort of dark magic had to have been involved. There were no _real_ creatures like this, at least not in this area; she knew these forests like she would know her own home and what she was looking at wasn't at all familiar to her. Red walked tentatively towards the beast, putting herself between it and the woman who had managed to pull herself back up off of the floor, though her hand cradled her arm heavily where blood had begun to pour.

Red snorted as the smell of blood filled her nose. No doubt the beast in front of her would have picked up on it too. Red snarled at the beast once more, doing what she could to keep its attention away from the bleeding human. She bravely lunged forwards towards the beast, using her massive paw to swipe at the it's ankles before retreating back a few paces in the opposite direction of the human and the village and towards the burning forest. She wasn't finished however, as the beast seemed not to care too much for the 'pest' at its ankles.

Red lunged forward again just as soon as she had regained her footing from nipping at the monsters ankles and sunk her teeth around the small base of the tail and clamped her strong jaws shut. If this beast's tail was as sensitive as hers was, then she knew she had the beast's attention.

A loud, ear piercing yowl escaped the beast's throat. Swatting at the wolf the creature roared in annoyance, fur standing on end as it dropped down on all fours, another snarl escaping it. It stepped forward towards the wolf, right hand slashing the smaller creature across the face forcing a pained yelp to come from the wolf and making it drop its grip on the beast's tail. Getting closer it roared at the wolf once more. This animal was a simple nuisance, getting rid of it wouldn't be a difficult task. Now that the wolf had the beast's attention, however, Red backed up, keeping her eyes on the beast as she led it away from the village doing her best to ignore the white-hot sting of pain across her face and hot trickles of blood falling to the ground.

XXX

Night took the path down to the village, actually quite pleased that the villagers had fled, leaving the area much abandoned. There were...patches of blood soaked into the dirt from some sort of long fight, but what concerned him the most was the lady down the road pacing around with an injured arm. For the moment, she seemed to be trying to fix herself up, grab her piece of equipment, before going...where? Though she stared further down a village path, she seemed reluctant, even cursing under her breath. Another thing Night took quite a notice of was her lack of fear towards him, at least, she didn't seem to feel his presence nor shrink away from him as he continued to approach.

"With that arm injury, I don't think continuing a pursuit of any kind would be choice."

"You couldn't possibly understand, I have a deal to keep." The woman said, suddenly seeming to make up her mind and ventured off towards where the wolf and beast had gone.

The shade didn't quite understand why people wanted to cause him so much grief. Shaking his head in disbelief, "Are you kidding me? What are you so insistent on-" It was at that moment, going over and taking a look, that Night noticed the werewolf again...this time, bloodied, brutalized severely, still in a fight with some kind of beast. It didn't look natural, from anything he'd seen in his travels, though unnatural...maybe some semblance to magically fused creatures. Magic. It wasn't a sure thing, but he didn't even like the idea in his mind.

Letting out a loud whistle, Night wasn't entirely surprised at how fast his horse came onto the scene. From how smart and well trained it was, he was almost certain it already knew of the situation, and had been waiting on standby for certain orders. Through his helmet, he met the eyes of his horse before striding over to the beast on beast battle, stopping for only a moment before pointing at the woman, "Don't let her interfere." The horse let out a loud neigh, its equivalent of an 'affirmative', before trotting to stand in front of the small petite lady.

The woman seemed to scowl at this, and tried to walk around it, but the horse blocked her. The woman tried to duck under the large horse, but is lowered itself so that there wouldn't be enough space for her to try it...and when she tried to catch it off guard and jump up over it, the horse lifted it head and knocked the side of the woman, while simultaneously catching the collar of her shirt and slamming her down in front of it. After a moment, both the horse and the woman got up...this seemed to be the last straw for the woman as she drew out a knife with her uninjured arm, but the horse thought little of it. Blocking the woman's approach, and side-stepping a jab, the horse head-butted the woman (rather gently) flat onto the ground. Using a hoof to knock the blade away, it stood over the woman and neighed triumphantly.

XXX

The smaller animal was faster than the beast, but that didn't deter the creature. It was determined to destroy this animal. The scent of the wolf's blood had already entered its nose. Pushing forward as hard as the beast could, it launched itself forward. The two tumbled in a mess of fur, claws and fangs. Yelps and whimpers escaping each creature. Tumbling out of the mess the beast shook its horned head and roared. Running towards the wolf, the creature's heavy blow was dodged by a hair. The tree it charged into not standing a chance as it snapped and fell over. The pained howling and whimpers from the wolf echoed through the night sending shivers down the spine of any villager that was unfortunate enough to be standing close enough to hear it.

Turning to meet the wolf's eyes the beast's upper lip trembled in a vicious snarl. It paced and watched the wolf, their gazes were fierce, Red determined to keep the beast away from the village at all costs despite the blinding pain in her side. The beast stepped forward and the wolf stepped back. The horned creature snorted. Stepping forward quickly again the wolf once again moved away, as if it was playing with the beast. This time the larger creature reached out and managed to grab the wolf by its hind leg claws digging into flesh as it was pulled back against its will. Blood began to pour from the wolf's hind leg and Red could feel her skin and muscle being ripped like tissue paper. The wolf let out a blood-curdling yelp of pain, digging her front paws into the earth to try to regain her ground and break free.

Making his way straight into this small battlefield, hearing the sound of his werewolf companion yelping...part of him wanted to brutalize such a monster, but the other, greater part of him saw no reason for special treatment. With a sweeping gesture of his hand, the shadow that the beast cast upon the wolf grew solid around the chimera-like creature's neck like a collar...like a noose. Shrinking enough to choke out the creature's airways. Simple...and concise.

The creature stopped it's attentions on the werewolf, but much too late. Soon, after quite a few moments of pawing at its own neck and the solid shadow, the eight foot tall creature fell upon the ground, unconscious. Dispersing the shadow, Night was confused for a moment when the beast began to change...and then felt ill when it turned into a vulnerable enough looking sort of woman. The shade could have killed...some sort of curse victim!

Turning away to think for a moment, after calming down, Night went over to the werewolf on the ground. Kneeling down, the shade examined its wounds carefully, shaking his head at some of the greater ones. Even now, seeing such horrible wounds, he wanted to kill the beast from moments ago.

The wolf, who had curled up into a small ball the moment she had been released from the beast, looked up at Night with pleading, pained eyes, though they were masked by the mass amounts of caked on blood and dirt matted to her fur. Red didn't even have the strength to whine anymore and gently laid her head down on the blood-stained grass underneath her and let out a tired sigh before letting her heavy eyelids flutter closed.

Now that the threat was gone, Night's horse finally allowed Mushu to approach the area, first looking over Belle to ensure that everything was alright. There was only a slight scrape on her arm where she had stabbed her sword into the beast, but aside from that and being completely naked, she looked absolutely normal. She just hoped that Rumpelstiltskin wasn't exactly serious when he said 'not a scratch.'

"We should get them to the village." Mushu finally said to Night, looking over the two as if deciding which one her small stature would be able to carry more easily back to the village.

"Hmph..." Night didn't quite like how this woman presumed to lead him, when she was both injured...and earlier willing to interfere in a fight while injured. Clearly, she wasn't the brightest person here. Or at least, she hadn't been thinking clearly. Ignoring the woman, the shade carefully reached his arms under the werewolf and hefted her up slowly. With his trusty horse approaching just in time, Night hefted the she-wolf up even higher, setting and pushing her onto the horse's back carefully.

Making sure she looked comfortable enough, the personification of night almost turned away...almost, but realized one more thing. Dispersing his chest plate for a moment, he pulled out her red cloak, and spent a good few minutes securing it on her unconscious self. The whole red cloak thing made him curious...really. Tucking a portion of the red cloth under the wolf's head, Night couldn't help whispering to it, "Red, is this your favorite color...? I may just have to call you by that from now on..." Smiling at the wolf's ear twitching slightly, the shade took hold of the horse's reins, steering it to the direction of a particularly dilapidated looking barn.

It took a bit of effort, but Mushu managed to carry the unconscious Belle the hundred or so paces to the nearby barn where Night planned on taking his pet wolf. The more she thought about it, the more sense it seemed to keep Belle away from the village now that most of the villagers had been there to witness her transformation, and frankly she was done saving Belle's hide for one day. She got Belle nestled into a soft spot of hay and dressed the small arm wound with some torn rags from her own outfit before turning to leave the barn.

"I'm going to go check on the villagers, make sure everything is alright and hopefully gain some information and some new clothes for her. She should be fine there, but just...keep an eye on her until I get back. I have some gold on me; I'd be willing to bring back something to eat for all of us as a token of my gratitude..." She offered the man in black.

Reaching a hand over to pat the unconscious wolf through the cloak draped over it, he pulled the cloak over its exposed face and ears, and grimaced at the woman's offer of food. Night himself could eat, but it...he didn't feel like partaking in food while sitting in a barn with a handful of injured (and even cursed) women, especially since he had nary a scratch on him. And...somehow, even though one could only really blame circumstances, he felt heavy with guilt. Letting his werewolf companion get harmed in such a way, when preventing such a thing could have been as easy as arriving a minute or so earlier, almost killing a cursed woman...

"Food is not my main concern. I have depleted my water supply; I'd prefer a replacement for it more than anything." Only time would heal the rest of the wolf's injury. He'd cleaned up the cuts with the only full water skin he had on him, and done quite a bit of bandaging as well. There were many a things people shouldn't feel obligated about, this was one such situation as the factors barely had anything to do with him...but since he already insisted on shoving a big boot in, Night shouldn't half ass it...Mushu only nodded subtly before slipping out of the barn into the cool night air.

Not soon after Mushu had left did a soft moan come from underneath the cloak. The body underneath the red fabric began to twist and turn a bit until suddenly a human hand came out from under the cloak to pull away at the fabric, letting Red's human face be exposed to the fresh air. The scratch the beast had dealt to her while in wolf form still remained however, three bright red slices that started at the top of her left eyebrow, down over her eye and stopped at the bridge of her nose. Red winced slightly, feeling all of her other injuries take over in her human body but eventually her eyes fluttered open, hardly able to focus on the looming dark figure above her.

"The moon..." Red croaked, licking her dry lips only to taste a mixture of old blood and dirt that had dried up long ago. "...is it still Wolfstime?"

Watching Mushu leave and reaching over to pat the werewolf's head through the cloak, Night withdrew his hand quickly at the motion of the hand reaching out. For moments, the shade remained silent, watching...as the now human woman worked to pull the cover of the cloak off of herself. "Wolfstime? At present, it is..."

Red moved to sit herself up but immediately sucked in a deep breath that was in the makings of becoming a painful scream. Her hand shot to her right side, feeling at her ribs where the shooting pain was coming from and groaned out-loud in annoyance, knowing just exactly what had happened.

"You-you gotta get me in the hood." She snapped at Night a bit bitterly. "I'll-" She grimaced in pain again. "I'll turn back if I'm not wearing it..."

"Slowly!" Whispering harshly, though more in a worried manner than in entirely upset one, the whole of his gnarly armor dispersed to reveal normal clothing underneath...but only briefly, before reforming into a long cloak. No longer 'pointy' by his dangerous looking armor, Night helped the young woman sit up properly, before reaching over and pulling the red cloak over. It got dirty again, but that had little relevance in the situation. Draping one end on one shoulder, and pulled the other end to drape over the opposite one..."Magic, is it?" Night twisted the cloak lightly so the werewolf knew what he was referring to.

Each and every movement, however gentle he was, seemed like a thousand hot needles jabbing into her repeatedly. She remained silent though, biting her tongue until she was finally at rest again and safe in her cloak. Nodding faintly, she answered him briefly with a pained laugh. "Something like that...yeah..."

Red took a moment to look up at the man that seemed to tower over her, noticing briefly that the helm was gone and that there was a face underneath the shadowed hood. She couldn't make out any specific details, but enough was there to confirm that he did, indeed, have a face.

"Huh, so you really aren't a Wraith come for my soul then are you?" She halfly-teased.

Peering down at her face briefly, pain was easily enough read right off the bat...at this, the shade could only sigh. At present, it was night, it was his element. But, nothing made you feel more tired than the proof of mortality in the pain of other's injuries. Leaning back against a solid enough bale of hay, Night gave her a funny look (not that she'd be able to see), before scoffing audibly at this point, "Many a thing can take a life, but a soul?"

Red just shook her head but immediately regretted doing so afterwards, gritting her teeth in slight pain before resting herself back to lie on the pile of hay.

"It's probably best you don't know then..." She was silent for a few moments in the quiet barn, the only other sounds Red's keen ears could pick up on were that of the soft breathing of the girl in the hay on the other side of the barn.

"She's going to be alright then?" Red asked, then realizing just how random that might have come off, added, "The girl?"

Hearing the question that annoyed him a little bit, especially since it was quite obvious who had sustained the greater injury...leaning further back, resting an arm on the bale of hay now, Night was in no hurry to answer.

"The girl is alright...for now. She might not be in a few moments after I tear her soul from her body." Saying this in a matter of fact fashion and at the same time mocking Red's words from before, he stayed in his relaxed position, waiting whatever response she may have for such a thing said.

Red quirked an eyebrow, though unable to look at him in her lying down position and instead gave the rafters above her head a dirty look.

"Oh so now you're mocking me." She jested and felt her eyes roll a bit, still looking at the rafters but speaking to the man sitting next to her.

Getting up, dusting off pieces of hay here and there, Night went over to where Belle lay in another section of the hay. Though he knelt down beside the unconscious girl, under his cloak, he still faced towards the werewolf, "I have no soul. So...who has a better excuse than I to take another's?"

Hearing the man getting up from his spot, Red immediately sat up, holding her side as pain shot through her in the quick movement; however adrenaline now fuelled her body as she watched the man head over to the unconscious girl.

"Get away from her! She didn't know what she was doing!" Red demanded in an almost wolf-like snarl. She pulled herself to her feet quickly and attempted to storm over to him, however her leg immediately gave-way under the pressure and Red collapsed down hard onto the dirt floor.

"...why would you defend such a creature that almost tore you clean in two with its bare hands?"

Red attempted to pick herself up off the dirt floor, though did a very poor job at it and ended up settling for just raising her head to look up at him while she laid on her stomach.

"Because I know what she's going through. I know what it's like to lose complete control over something I didn't understand. Did you even look into her eyes? Did you even see how lost and confused she was? I've been there, and no one should ever have to go through that alone the way I did...I don't care what she did or didn't do to fall victim to this curse, going through something like that...alone...that's not even something I would wish on The Dark One himself..."

Listening to the girl laying on the ground for a little while, the shade had turned to face her at this point. After she was done speaking, Night visibly tilted his head thoughtfully at such an answer before turning to face the unconscious girl again, "...are you jobless? It seems like you've had quite a bit of time to think up such an answer for such an obscure question..."

A muscle in Red's jaw tightened as she pulled herself from the dirt and lay back in the soft hay, though now keeping a close watch on the shadow man.

"I don't have to answer that." She said in a huff and folded her arms across her chest, already forgetting about the potentially broken rib in her side and let out an immediate surprised yelp when her arms rested in their folded position.

Letting out a small breath, that soon turned into a long sigh...Night glanced over the unconscious girl before giving the werewolf his summary, "The girl has sustained no injury other than the ones you seemed to have made, but other than that, she may only have some additional light bruising around her neck..."

Turning to fully face 'wolfie', he righted himself and scooped her into his arms which she tried to protest weakly against, only for him to let her down onto a bigger pile of hay moments after. Dropping down to his space again, making himself comfortable, leaning back against the bales of hay...he gave her another long, unreadable stare, "You _knew_ I wasn't going to harm her...why did you even bother getting up?"

Red adjusted herself in the new, softer pile of hay a bit, holding her side to keep her rib from trying to break through the skin if it had indeed broken.

"Because it wouldn't have been the first time my instincts were wrong..." She said, if a bit darkly, her eyes looking off as if remembering something...terrible...

The door to the barn suddenly opened and Mushu scuffled inside holding a small lantern that seemed to light up the unusually dark barn. Her bright brown eyes blinked as she looked at Night and the girl in the red hood lying down next to him, putting two and two together that the wolf was actually a human...or was it the other way around? Frankly, she didn't want to ask.

"I have your water..." Mushu said to Night, untying a flask from her hip and tossed it over to him before moving back over to Belle and set down the lantern next to her sleeping head. "Look...I have to go..." Mushu said, still looking at Belle but obviously still talking to Night. "Just for a little bit. There's a man I need to see, the villagers told me that if I left tonight, I could be at his castle by morning. He can fix all of this...it wasn't part of our deal..."

Red and Knight nodded in unison and as soon as the water flasks were dropped off, Mushu was gone from the barn again. Knight opened his mouth to speak once more, to continue his conversation with his wolf companion but stopped abruptly when the sound of soft snoring came to his ears and quickly realized that Red had fallen asleep. It was just as well, he would allow her all the sleep she needed in order to recover quickly. He just hoped that the beast woman would remain asleep as well…for her own safety. There was no telling what Knight might do, what emotions might overcome him if he faced her awake before his companion awoke.

**Author's Note:**

**To answer your question really quick, yes I did change the timeline a bit between Snow White and Red, and that will be discussed in greater detail in my story 'Once Upon a Time: Book 1: The Curse' so just hold tight, I promise all will be explained in due time. This chapter also concludes Day 1 for our characters Belle, Red, Night and Mushu. I have 2 more chapters after this concluding Day 1 for Rumpelstiltskin, Jekyll and Henry. After that, there is one more Day before the curse is enacted, so we still got a bit to go!**


	7. Chapter 7: Magic

**Author's Note:**

**Alright, I'm a tad bit guilty of using some scenes from the show in this post…okay A LOT guilty…but the use of flashbacks here I felt was somewhat needed. Just note, that I DID happen to change a few things here and there, a line or two that drastically change the outcome of the scene that will open up other arcs down the road. If you read carefully, and know those scenes as well as I do, then you will know what I'm talking about.  
><strong>

Materializing in front of his castle, Rumpelstiltskin took the first few steps up to the front doors when he slowed to a stop, his mind far from easy. Belle was safe now, and that's all he had ever wanted for her, but he couldn't keep doing this to himself...getting...involved...

The Imp took a seat on one of the stone steps and rubbed his eyes tiredly, looking out to the horizon where the forest he had set on fire lay miles ahead. In a way, burning down the forest represented the emotions boiling up in The Dark One's heart, and so...just how he had burnt the forest down to start new, cleansing it of all its evils...so must he. Belle did not love him, and so he could not keep holding onto her. He had to stop blaming himself for what had happened to her and let her go forever. He had talked her out of loving him easily enough, and now he had to convince himself that he did not love her in return. Had she not turned on him in the first place, she wouldn't have ever become the beast. At least...that's what he kept trying to tell himself...

XXX

_Two Weeks Ago..._

_Once again, Rumpelstiltskin was left entirely alone in The Dark Castle, doing what he did best to drain the time of day and stood at the spinning wheel, watching numbly as the wheel squeaked and turned. Despite the castle being completely empty aside from the Imp, the area held a solemn quiet haunting even The Dark One Himself._

_Rumpelstiltskin didn't even so much as budge when he felt a magical presence entering his home, nor did he even stop his spinning when he lock that held the room in which he was spinning's door shut break and shatter as if it had been made of glass. The grand double doors opened and a woman stepped into the room as if she owned the place._

_"Flimsy locks." The woman half-giggled as she entered the room which finally brought the Imp to look at her. " I have a deal to discuss...a certain...mermaid..." The woman went on, stopping at the table in the center of the room before she reached Rumpelstiltskin. On the table was nothing more than a simple tea set, comprised of a small kettle and two tea cups, all sitting nestled on a silver tray._

_"I'm not dealing today." Rumpelstiltskin replied, turning his head back to the wheel and away from the woman. To those who were familiar with Rumpelstiltskin's way of speaking, the drastic change in his voice would have alarmed anyone as it held no child-like giggle, no snark...nothing but...normality...and possibly even sadness. The woman began to help herself to the tea left on the table, though stopped when she noticed the change in the Imp's voice._

_"Are you angry with me?" She asked, holding the tea kettle paused in the air as she was just about to pour it into the cup. "What is it this time?" She asked when the Imp didn't answer and resumed pouring her tea._

_"Your little deception...**failed**." Rumpelstiltskin finally replied and only then did he return his attention to the woman helping herself to his tea, grateful at least she hadn't chosen **his** cup. "You'll never be more powerful than me. You can keep trying dearie, but you're never gonna beat me..."_

_The woman met the Imp's gaze and held a knowing smirk, hearing the slow increase in Rumpelstiltskin's blood-lustful voice. She set down the tea cup and kettle back on the table and approached the Imp, her lips curled out in a false pout._

_"Ohh, is this about that girl I met on the road? Hmmm?" She asked, her voice dripping with mockery. Rumpelstiltskin returned his attention to the spinning wheel before him. The woman let out a cold laugh as she returned to the table and to her cup of tea._

_"What was her name?" The woman went on, picking up the tea cup and raised it to her lips. "Margie? Verna..." She went on, trying to recall the name on her own._

_Rumpelstiltskin stopped spinning, if but for a moment._

_"Belle..."_

_"Right...well, you can rest assured I had nothing to do with that arrangement..." The woman replied almost instantly, conjuring up a silver spoon from thin air and began to stir the tea in her cup around, keeping her back to Rumpelstiltskin to hide the smirk on her lips. Rumpelstiltskin felt his blood freeze over, his heart dropping to his boots..._

_"What arrangement?" He practically demanded, pulling himself away from the spinning wheel to approach the woman at his table. The woman pulled the spoon from her mouth, her eyes wide as she turned to face him, her expression now quite shocked._

_"You don't know?" She asked, astounded. When Rumpelstiltskin didn't reply, only looking at her coldly, she set the spoon and cup of tea down onto the tray and turned to face him once more. "Well...after she got home...you can only imagine the things she told the villagers about you, but between you and me, they didn't need a whole lot of convincing to hate you even more than they already do; kidnapping that poor girl and what-have-you..."_

_Rumpelstiltskin's dark eyes narrowed, not buying into what the witch before him was saying. He knew Belle, she would never turn on him like that...but he let the woman go on. _

_"The whole village knows about you Rumpel, and they are determined to kill you for what you did to her. I need not remind you that the girl's fiancé' is the son of a well-known huntsman...and he knows about the dagger..." _

_The Imp's face let up a bit, his eyes letting-on that now he wasn't so sure if he believed her words or not._

_"You're lying..." Came his eventual reply, but the uneasiness in his voice made the woman laugh and quirk an eyebrow._

_"Am I?" She challenged. "But...perhaps not all is lost...you see, the son of the huntsman is fearful that you might try to take her back, and so he arranged an immediate wedding. Rest assured there won't be any angry mobs at your front door until after that's passed. You know how the common folk are with their pitiful celebrations. But...perhaps...if something...tragic were to happen at the wedding..."_

_Rumpelstiltskin pulled himself from whatever dark hole the woman was burying his heart into and shook his head no, pointing a finger at her._

_"We're done here." He waved his hand, the double doors of the room opening up magically as if to show her the way out and Rumpelstiltskin walked to the doors themselves, stopping at the threshold with an arm gesturing for her to leave. He wasn't going to allow this woman to plant thoughts into his head; he would not be played like a puppet. The woman shrugged and walked towards him slowly._

_"Fine, I have other house-calls to make." She said with a light chuckle, dragging her finger on the table as she walked towards him and looked upon the dust that gathered upon her finger. "Hmmm...place is looking dusty Rumpel..." She said meeting him at the doorway. "You should get a new girl." The woman smiled and took her leave._

_Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes hard, waiting until the witch had left his house completely before magically shutting the doors once more. He walked to the table and picked up the cup that the woman hadn't used for her tea and admired the small chip the cup had on the rim. If what Regina had said was true, then Belle was to be married, and then he would be hunted down like an animal. He wasn't sure which of those he felt worse about. Rumpelstiltskin delicately set the chipped cup back down on the tray, his eyes now growing full of anger and determination._

_"No...no I'm not finished yet..." Rumpelstiltskin said out loud to himself and his dark eyes moved to the small cupboard in the corner of the room in which he kept his most powerful potions...and cracked a smile._

XXX

Rumpelstiltskin pulled himself from his thoughts, his eyes now embedded on the rose he had picked up that he held in his knotted hand and felt the pressure of the bloody thorn and rat tail he had kept away in his pocket.

"There's only one more thing I can do for you Belle, and then I'm done...forever...I have to be."

Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand and the rose disappeared in a swirl of purple smoke.

XXX

Alexandre swept through the halls of the castle with a slight swagger to his step, obviously used to, and pleased with his new human form. As he walked, he was singing a song under his breath, though he phrased it more like telling a story than actually singing.

"The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,  
>All on a summer day:<br>The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,  
>And took them quite away!"<p>

Heather smiled a bit at Alexandre, ignoring his seemingly arrogant walk, and listened as he recited another poem under his breath. As if coming back to reality from his reverie, Alexandre stopped to look back at Dr. Jekyll.

"Well, I dare say we've looked through every room, nook, and cranny of the castle, yes? Or have I missed anything? If there was one thing useful about being a cat, it was the ability to see far better than a human could." He informed in an almost lecturing fashion.

"I believe we have looked around in every place we could access," Heather answered Alexandre. She was somewhat slightly distracted by the baby blanket she found in one of the bedrooms. It was old and ratty, something the poorest of the poor would use to wrap their child in and the name Baelfire was crudely stitched into that blanket with red thread. Why would Rumpelstiltskin have this particular baby blanket?

She snapped out of her thoughts when she looked out of the window and saw the man in question standing at the front doors of The Dark Castle. She backed away from the window, and noticed that the sun was setting. She said to Alexandre, clearly nervous and unsettled, but trying to remain calm, "He's back!"

Alexandre, too, looked at the blanket with keen interest; jumping in surprise at Heather's sudden outburst of Rumpelstiltskin's return.

"Thrice-damned wretch. I'm not afraid of him." He declared, though it was an obvious lie. There was no one in the Enchanted Forest who wasn't afraid of Rumpelstiltskin - well, no one alive, that is. Heather quickly put the baby blanket back down where she had found it and hurried off to the kitchens. Alexandre silently followed Heather, albeit at a more casual pace, a heavy stride to his steps as opposed to the smooth, prideful posture he had earlier.

"Keep calm, my dear. What's the worst he'll do?" Alexandre asked, as if trying to comfort her before abruptly stopping himself. Heather gave him a skeptical look that silently asked him if he was being serious right now. "No, wait, bad metaphor. Everything will be fine." He reassured, flashing a comforting, if not hollow grin. After he amended himself, Heather sighed.

"Thanks. But you saw how childish he acted. If he turns out to be a picky eater, then I'm either going to switch with Hyde, or going to be dead! If I didn't have Hyde's sense of smell, I would still call you a liar,"

She tested the soup by lifting up the lid and saw that it was still hot indicative by the steam that rose into the air. Thank Heavens! She placed the lid back onto the pot and she mumbled,

"OK. Where the heck does he keep the dishes and silverware...? Does he even have those things...?" She never felt so nervous before. It was very much like the times right before the meetings with the Board of Science in London.

"Do I _really_ look like I know?" Alexandre asked her, exasperated. He strolled about the kitchens nonchalantly, as if trying to force the illusion upon himself that everything was alright. His hands were in his coat pockets and he was whistling a tune to himself.

"No. No, you don't. Sorry," Heather quickly apologized as she looked around. She honestly felt like she was going to start hyperventilating, and tried to slow her breathing down as she continued her search.

"I'm sure he could _conjure_ a bowl or two if need be. And even if he did get mad, he wouldn't kill you, because you're still worth something to him, and two: if you do turn to Hyde, will you give me a heads-up? I'd like to 'chat'." He said with a flashy grin.

She stopped momentarily to look at Alexandre.

"You do realize there's a chance that she could kill you while you're chatting with her, right?"

She soon found the bowl, utensils, and the ladle. As she served up the soup in the bowl, she asked Cheshire "Are you going to talk to Rumpelstiltskin?" She was curious if he was still intent on going through with that plan, or if he was just going to leave, considering he had his human body back.

"I like to be spontaneous - we'll see what happens." Alexandre replied cryptically, running a stray hand through his hair. "You _really_ think Hyde would try and kill me? I know she wanted to get 'closer'." He said with a chuckle, but otherwise was neutral as he spoke.

His answer about being spontaneous worried Heather even more. She answered him, "I wouldn't put it past her. She may do it after you two got...'closer',"

She kept her ears open for the two front doors to open. Considering that she saw Rumpelstiltskin at the doors from the second story, she calculated that he would be in this castle by now. So...why wasn't he? She decided not to question this out loud, and just take it as good luck on her part.

"I do hope that my dinner is ready." Rumpelstiltskin said cheerily, parading himself into the main entrance of the castle calling out to the only person he believed to be in his home. With a twist of his wrist, the doors that had been previously locked that led into the grand hall in which Rumpelstiltskin spent most of his time, opened up and the Imp walked through the threshold, his eyes immediately going to the table in the center of the room. Noticing that the table looked just the same as he had left it; dusty and empty, he furrowed his brows but went to the head of the table and took a seat, folding his hands together and resting them on the wooden table and called for Heather Jekyll once more.

"Come on out dearie, no need to be shy!"

Heather jumped when his voice called for her, hoping that dinner was ready. She quickly served the soup into the bowl and hurried as fast as she could to the table where he was sitting, without spilling a drop. She made a mental note that if she ever saw Poole or any of her maids, she would thank them. She said to Rumpelstiltskin politely as she arrived to the table,

"I apologize for the wait," She placed the soup in front of him, neatly with the silverware and backed away. She remained calm and composed despite his latest call.

Rumpelstiltskin looked at the bowl of soup laid out before him and eyed it skeptically before turning to look at her, as if expecting her to do something.

"Well?" He asked after a few silent moments. "Are you going to eat with me or not?"

Heather thought that she was going to be treated like the maids and servants in her world: that she would have to just wait for him to be done before she could eat. She was caught by surprise when he asked his question, her eyebrows raised and she answered awkwardly,

"O-Oh. Yes. I'll be right back,"

She then walked off to get her own bowl, getting over her surprise. However, she couldn't help but feel even more nervous for a reason she could not explain. She tried to calm down by telling herself that if she was eating at the same time he was, then it would show him that the soup wasn't poisoned or something like that. Could he even be poisoned? She'd rather not test that. She got back to the kitchen and she got out two more bowls. She said to Alexandre,

"If you want a bowl of soup, help yourself," She served a bowl for herself, and then headed back out to that table, with a silent sigh to calm herself.

Rumpelstiltskin was practically finished with his bowl of soup by the time Heather came back, while she was gone he ran a simple incantation over it to ensure that she hadn't tried to poison him. He wasn't sure whether or not to be happy that she hadn't. He let his eyes look up at Heather once she entered the room once more and issued out his hand in a gesture for her to sit at the other end of the table so that she would be facing him, his attention now long-gone from his own soup and watching her carefully eating hers in the ominous silence.

When Heather came back, she was surprised to see that he was already finished, and she felt slightly embarrassed. When he gestured to the other end of the table, she nodded and sat there. She retained the good table manners that were taught to her when she was very young (even if the teaching then was very strict).

"Well, this is quite dreary." Alexandre announced as he stepped into the dining room, hands in his coat pockets once again. His sudden arrival kept Heather from eating for the moment. "I'm satisfied, Imp. For once you've actually come through on your end of the deal." He said coldly, acting much like he did _before_ he was human. "And stop staring at the doctor like that." He added on, "I know who you _really_ have eyes for." He said with another smile, though this one was menacing and grim, like a calm before a storm. He knew he was pushing the Imp, and made a mental note not to snap the line of his patience; but he wasn't going to show fear, show weakness.

Heather listened to him speak, worried that he may be pushing his luck when it came to this Imp. Rumpelstiltskin already seemed angry enough. She was a bit grateful when he asked the Imp to stop staring at her, even though she knew it wasn't that kind of stare he was giving her, but she couldn't help but be a bit curious as to who the Imp _really did_ have eyes for.

Rumpelstiltskin set down the spoon he still held in his gnarled hand and tilted his head to the side thoughtfully as his eyes moved up from Heather to the man now making himself known in the room.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" The Imp asked him eerily calmly, especially for someone who just realized there was a potential stranger in his home.

Alexandre did not answer, instead strolling over to an empty chair at the table, removing his coat, placing it around the back, and sitting down.

"You know who I am." He finally said, his face as solid as stone; and just as cold. "I figured I'd stay here for a while before going back _home_...is there a home? I never liked getting involved in politics." He said, almost as if speaking aloud to himself than to anyone else in the room. However, unannounced, almost abruptly; Alexandre stood from his spot and swept his coat back on.

"Oh, Imp...before I go," he began nonchalantly, as if talking to an old friend, "I've...seen _Her_ around." He started, his mouth twitching at the corner. He was without a doubt that Rumpelstiltskin knew who he was talking about.

Rumpelstiltskin stood from his own chair, though his demeanor was more out of respect since a guest at his own table was standing. He only snickered a bit, closing the gap between himself and the man he knew better as a grinning cat in a leisurely manner. Jekyll stood as well, sensing that something very bad was going to happen. It was obvious just from how Alexandre started speaking after he had stood up.

Alexandre leaned in close, "She _despises_ you. Monster, Liar, Cheater, the names go on and on. I would recommend finding some other poor girl to stalk." He straightened his posture before turning to head towards the door. Heather widened her eyes and started warily.

"Alexandre...you should stop..._now_," Heather breathed out weakly.

Rumpelstiltskin tilted his head to the side once again, thoughtfully wearing a twisted smile hiding the boiling rage consuming his thoughts. Though without warning, his arm struck in the blink of an eye and the Imp's hand was buried deep inside of Alexandre's chest. His fingers found the small organ inside of his ribs and enclosed around it, squeezing tightly before ripping the heart out of Alexandre's chest and holding it delicately in his own hand. Alexandre could do little but croak out a deep groan of pain as the Imp's hand penetrated his chest and pulled out his heart. This was it. He had crossed the line. His face was a mixture of absolute pain, shock, and terror as to what was going to happen next.

"You aren't fit to speak of her. Not to me...not to _anyone_." Rumpelstiltskin whispered calmly, leaning in to speak into Alexandre's ear, all the while his fingers squeezing hard on the still beating heart in his hand, watching Alexandre squirm around in pain with sheer amusement.

Heather couldn't believe what she saw. She gasped and her hands were covering her mouth as she witnessed Rumpelstiltskin rip Alexandre's heart out. She expected that Alexandre would collapse dead from that, but instead he was still standing and was squirming in pain, defying the medical laws Heather knew well. She wanted to tell Rumpelstiltskin to stop, but she couldn't find her own voice, and Hyde was commenting on how interesting this was, preventing Heather from doing anything except watching.

Alexandre's face was practically drenched with sweat, all feeling replaced by sharp pain and a dull, horrible ringing in his ears.

"Then...finish...it." He practically coughed out, still managing to find some sort of defiance. "I...I have...nothing...nothing to l-lose. Not ev-even you can hold m-me." He spat, feeling his legs start to buckle before collapsing onto the floor. His knees took the hit hard and would have caused quite a bit of pain - had he not been suffering excruciating amounts of it currently.

Rumpelstiltskin's hand let up on the organ, just enough to ease the pain he was giving Alexandre, though only slightly. The Imp's grin widened and let out an unsettling giggle.

"Oh yes yes yes yes, but you see, that's what makes it even more important that you _live_." He mused. With his free hand, Rumpelstiltskin pulled Alexandre to his feet and jammed the heart back into his chest with a little bit more force than was actually needed before pushing Alexandre's body away from his own.

Right after Rumpelstiltskin shoved Alexandre, Heather snapped out of her shocked stupor and hurried over to Alexandre, checking on him to make sure that he was ok, and didn't have any wounds. Imagine her surprise to find that there was no wound in his chest, where his heart had just been ripped out, not even a single drop of blood!

"Oh! Didn't you mention something about returning home? Well...the least I can do is _help_ you along with that..." Rumpelstiltskin went on, his voice now no longer a whisper but that of his usual child-like tone.

Heather looked to Rumpelstiltskin when he spoke, worried that he would do something else that was just as terrible when he mentioned the cat's home. Alexandre had little time to react after having his heart forcefully shoved back into his chest.

"No...no, you wouldn't." He pleaded, completely defeated. Any shred of rebellious or defiant thoughts were quelled, leaving him fully out in the open: a coward.

Heather asked Rumpelstiltskin, controlling herself so as to not show fear or the anger she felt, "Haven't you done enough?!"

A smirk only came across Rumpelstiltskin's face as he looked at the two, their pitiful pleas music to his ears. He shook his head no in answering Heather's question and raised his hand, bringing two of his fingers together now concentrating his dead eyes on Alexandre.

"There will never be enough that I can do to him that the coward hasn't already done to himself dearie." He answered darkly. "Give the Queen my best then?" He asked Alexandre cheerily and snapped his fingers. Immediately, a swirl of purple smoke encased Alexandre, snaking around Heather as if she weren't there and with the blink of an eye, Alexandre and the smoke had vanished from The Dark Castle.

Heather whirled to see Alexandre disappear in a cloud of smoke. She clenched her fists, feeling helpless that she couldn't help Alexandre. She said nothing to the Imp, while Hyde laughed in her mind about how he was worse than she was. How could he? How could he just send Alexandre to the Queen, right after tearing his heart out? Heather knew that she wouldn't be forgetting this for a very long time, no matter how much she would want to.

The Imp turned to face Heather the moment Alexandre was gone, a casual shrug coming from his shoulders as if he were reading her very thoughts.

"I can teach you to do that you know. _Anything_ you want, you can have, and no one to tell you otherwise...all you need to do...is give into that anger I know you're holding inside you dearie."

Heather was about to refuse, but she heard Hyde's voice echo in her mind, telling her to accept, because it would help in getting revenge for Alexandre, and Hyde promised not to take over if she did. Heather sighed through her nose, giving in to the anger, and somewhat relieved that Hyde wasn't using this chance to take over, and she said to him,

"Fine. What do I need to learn first?"

Rumpelstiltskin giggled in sheer glee in approval of her decision and slowly walked to the table where he rested himself against as he turned to look at his apprentice once again.

"Magic is about emotion. Summon up that moment that made you _so_ angry that you would have killed if you could."

Heather listened to what he said, and she did. She recalled one of the people who made her life miserable, and she recalled the moment when she was plenty angry, before she had created Evelyn Hyde...

XXX

_A few years ago..._

_Heather stood in front of the board of scientists. Next to her was Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The board was deciding on who they should give the funds to. In a sense, it was up to them to decide whose work was much more important. Heather had taken so much time to make sure that her thesis was accurate, persuasive, and completely backed by evidence. And yet...all of her effort seemed to be in vain. Sir Danvers Carew, the leader of the Board of Scientists, spoke to the both of them._

_ "We have decided to give funding for Dr. Victor Frankenstein's work. Dr. Frankenstein, you may head up to Switzerland to do your work tomorrow."_

_Heather sighed with disappointment, while catching the sight of Frankenstein's smirk. Before she could raise any protests, Sir Danvers Carew called,_

_ "And with that, this meeting is dismissed," He banged the gavel and many people left, leaving Heather to stand alone. The last to leave was Victor Frankenstein himself. He smirked at Heather and he said,_

_ "There, you see? My work, for life, is much more important than your pursuit of a fairy tale," Heather glared at Frankenstein and she commented,_

_"Gloat all you like. I can still find a way to perform my experiments and do my work,"_

_Frankenstein laughed and said,_

_ "If I were you, I'd just give up. After all, there's no place for silly little women, like yourself, when it comes to science,"_

_Frankenstein left with a smirk, leaving Heather seething in anger. After he had left, and there was nobody else in the building, Heather screamed in anger. She really wanted to kill him..._

XXX

Heather's fists clenched even more and she muttered the rest of the thought out loud,

"...I'd make him my little lab rat before I'd kill him! Show him that my work _is_ important...!"

Rumpelstiltskin watched her with genuine interest, slowly _feeling_ the rage building up inside of her that caused the Imp's grin to widen more and more. With a gentle gesture, he issued Heather to approach him over at the table. Waiting for her to join him, he flicked his wrist and a small tea-lit candle appeared in his hand of which he then set on the wooden surface of the dusty table.

Heather almost didn't notice the gesture, but she did nonetheless, and she approached the table and to him. She made sure that she still had that memory at the front of her mind.

Turning his attention from the unlit candle back to Heather, he used his hand to brush away the brown locks of hair that kept the markings from their earlier scuffle hidden and waved his hand over the injuries. Just as it had before with Hyde, small, airy wisps of purple strands of magic circled around his hand but unlike last time, the cuts and bruises began to heal themselves, almost instantly until there was absolutely no indication that he had been beating her beforehand. Heather could feel the wounds and bruises heal themselves, but she remained quiet and still.

"You hold onto that memory dearie, and you hold onto power." Rumpelstiltskin smiled softly, returning his hand to his side before turning to look at the candle on the table. "Now light it."

Heather was tempted to just use the practical method and use a lighter, but knew that that wasn't what Rumpelstiltskin was looking for. She glared at the candle, as though it belonged to Frankenstein, and she recalled the memory and how she wanted to pour her chemicals down his throat, or slip poison into his food. However, the candle didn't seem be lighting itself. She added the frustration onto that anger and growled,

"Come on..." She closed her eyes for a brief moment and focused on the emotions, as though it may help.

"Stop thinking about the candle, focus on your anger instead." Rumpelstiltskin instructed from behind her, pacing back and forth slightly, watching..._feeling_ her struggle to light the candle.

Heather sighed through her nose and took his instruction seriously. She focused on her anger, with her eyes still closed. Without even realizing it, the candle suddenly lit.

"Look." Rumpelstiltskin whispered, having bent over her shoulder to speak softly in her ear. Heather opened her eyes and saw that the candle was indeed lit.

"And that, dearie, is how magic is made." Rumpelstiltskin said straightening himself up behind her to take his place instead at her side, letting her on to the slight amount of pride in his voice. But that was just how magic was _made_...how did he _control_ it?

"How do you use your anger to cast different spells?"

Rumpelstiltskin let out a light chuckle at her question, though it was only half-hearted...masked by some other emotion that had yet to make itself known in him.

"Just like anything else, magic requires practice. You will learn over-time to control your anger and channel it into something you _can_ control, just like any emotion. Magic will become a part of you, second-nature if you allow it to reside within you. However you must never under-estimate its power, as it always comes with a price." He vaguely gestured towards his own appearance.

Heather listened carefully to what Rumpelstiltskin had to say, mentally taking notes.

"Right...of course," She could tell already what her price is for using magic. It was giving Evelyn Hyde more strength, until she could take over her body for good.

Rumpelstiltskin studied Heather's face for a moment, seeming to be lost in thought in the still silence. He quickly shook his head though, pulling himself out of his own thoughts and conjured up a small book out of thin air and handed it to her.

"But what good is an apprentice without her own spell book?" He asked with a giddy grin. "When you aren't cooking my meals, cleaning my castle and doing whatever else that I ask, you will be studying this book. Only then when you have mastered all its contents, with my instruction of course, will you truly be free of your other self. Just as you wanted."

Heather snapped out of her own thoughts when he presented the book, and she took the book in her hands. She answered politely,

"Thank you," Rumpelstiltskin bowed politely in return.

She wanted to look through the book and see what spells were in there, but she knew that she may have to save that for later, the lesson probably wasn't over yet. She could hear Hyde in her mind, protesting and telling her that she will never leave and that the body will be hers soon enough.

Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand over the candle and the light was immediately diminished. His eyes then trailed back over to Heather and he nodded once more.

"Again."

Heather didn't complain. She focused on her anger again, and lit the candle with her eyes closed. This time, she opened her eyes after she had successfully lit the candle, slightly being able to _feel_ that she had lit it once more. Taking a seat on the dusty table next to the candle, Rumpelstiltskin smiled his praises to Heather.

"You should be proud dearie. You've shown more progress in less amount of time than the Evil Queen herself." He grinned. "Though...her motives for using magic were slightly...different..." He then added, speaking more to himself than to Heather.

Heather looked to Rumpelstiltskin, but didn't let pride get to her head. She knew what pride could do to an intellect. She grew curious, however, when he mentioned the Evil Queen and mumbled about motives. She asked,

"The Evil Queen? As in the one from the tale of Snow White?" She wasn't sure, considering there were many Evil Queens and women in fairy tales. She had heard of the story, but she knew that there was always more to the story than what was on the surface. Rumpelstiltskin raised his hand to his head and then his hand out indicating that his memory had failed him for a moment.

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten your current knowledge of The Enchanted Forest; other than what that _Cat_ has been able to tell you I suppose..." He pushed himself off the table and made his way to the only window in the room that wasn't covered by a dusty old curtain and looked out over the horizon. The sun had set long ago, and yet there still remained a still, orange glow just before the mountains took over the gentle plains...and where a forest once was.

"But there will be plenty of time for that later." He added on, though kept his back to her as he watched where he knew the forest was burning.

Heather looked out of the window from where she stood and she saw the orange glow in the darkness. What was happening out there? She couldn't ask, because he told her that she would learn about this world later (much to her slight irritation).

"We will be having a guest in the morning. I shall expect nothing less than a welcoming breakfast for when she arrives. You are to find me when she arrives after you have issued her in. You aren't to speak anything more to her than what is a custom greeting, you needn't to go around telling everyone you're not from here..."

Heather noticed that he used the word 'she' in his speech, so it was safe to assume that the visitor would be female. She asked out of curiosity,

"Who are you expecting?"

The answer didn't come right away, as Rumpelstiltskin thought his words over carefully, deciding on just how much he wanted to have revealed.

"Just an old friend." He said after a short while, though finally turning to face Heather once more. "I trust you took it upon yourself to look around The Dark Castle in my absence?" He then asked, changing the direction of conversation, though his voice held no anger as one would have expected. Heather noticed how he suddenly changed the conversation's direction, guessing from that, that the visitor coming tomorrow could be the same woman that Alexandre had mentioned briefly before his heart had been ripped out. She didn't comment though, and she nodded a simple yes. She easily recalled all of the guest rooms she had seen and picked the one she'd rather stay in.

"You may have any room you like dearie, aside from my own and the library of course."

Heather nodded and said politely, "Alright. Once again, thank you," and Rumpelstiltskin replied only by a polite, theatrical bow. It was certainly better than having him throw her in the dungeons she had seen earlier in her exploration. She remembered where she found his room and library and made note to avoid those areas.

"You've got an early morning ahead of you dearie, the castle is a bit dusty." Rumpelstiltskin went on, implying that Heather would be cleaning the entirety of The Dark Castle once she woke up. He walked to Heather casually, putting his hand on the small of her back and led her out of the room, gently walking her to the staircase that would take them upstairs where the choice bedrooms were located. He walked with her up the stairs, stopping only when they reached two solid oak doors of fine craftsmanship that no doubt lead to the master bedroom of the entire castle. Again, he bowed deeply to her, a silent goodnight, before magically opening the doors where he then walked through, shutting the doors tightly behind him and once again leaving Heather on her own.

Heather could already feel the almost invisible bags under her eyes get heavier as she walked with Rumpelstiltskin until he reached his room. After that, she headed for the guest room she had mentally picked out once he gave her free choice. She reached the room, not completely intent on sleeping (in fear of Hyde taking over and doing something stupid). She opted for flipping through the spell book and reading up on the spells she had to learn.

The moment the doors to his bedroom closed, Rumpelstiltskin knew that Heather had been inside. If it weren't for the distinct feeling he got, the slight...disturbance in the air he felt, then it would have still been obvious by the way he spotted something out of its place. Walking briskly over to his nightstand, Rumpelstiltskin picked up the hastily folded-up piece of cloth and brought it to his chest. With a heavy sigh, he sat down on the edge of his bed, turning the tattered fabric this way and that until he found the red, crude stitched letters spelling out the name 'Baelfire.' He brought the poorly-made baby blanket up to his nose and inhaled the sweet scent, a preservation spell still holding fast to the fabric after all these years and bringing Rumpelstiltskin immediately to his past.

XXX

_Many, many years ago..._

_Rumpelstiltskin hurried home quickly, a rolled up piece of parchment held fastly in his left hand. On his face he wore the happiest of grins, practically begging to let loose the good news he had been holding over the last few hours. It was a time before 'The Dark One' and Rumpelstiltskin wore nothing but simple rags. In fact, Rumpelstiltskin couldn't have looked more 'common' then he did back then. The same could also be said for his house as it was a simple, small, circular hut, but he had never felt more proud walking through that door then he did that day._

_"Milah!" Rumpelstiltskin called out, throwing open the front door to find his wife, Milah, busy sewing at the table. "Milah!" He said again, exasperated but sighing in relief to find her there as he would any other day. The raven-haired woman looked up from her work and beamed at her husband._

_"I'm nearly finished!" She boasted, of course talking about her work._

_"Aha, you learn quickly!" Rumpelstiltskin commended her jovially, walking briskly to her side at the table._

_"Well I have a good teacher." Milah replied, setting down the fabric that would make a fair pair of pants in order to receive a kiss from her husband. After kissing his wife, Rumpelstiltskin took a couple steps back to look at Milah, his body practically shaking in excitement._

_"What is it?" Milah asked, somewhat concerned about the look her husband wore on his face. "What brings you home so early?"_

_"Milah..." Rumpelstiltskin began, unable to hold in a breathy laugh. "...my weaving days are behind us. I've been called to the front!" He said enthusiastically and began to unroll the scroll he had in his hand, showing the summons to his wife. Written across the scroll in big letters was his name, and below that 'You Have Been Drafted Into The King's Army'._

_Rumpelstiltskin set the scroll down on the table for his wife to look over, however her face did not hold the same amount of excitement that his had. She read the summons over and over again, her hand slightly trembling trying to keep the parchment flat._

_"The Ogre's war..." She said after a few silent moments. Rumpelstiltskin clapped his hands together and took a few jig-like steps in his excitement._

_"I report for training in the morning!" He sing-songed._

_"No! Rumpel...I've heard stories!" Milah protested, bringing Rumpelstiltskin out of his boyish grin. "The front...it's a brutal place!"_

_"Ahh yeah, I know, I know. I-I can't say that I-I won't be frightened..." Rumpelstiltskin took a seat at the small table by his wife and gently took her hand in his. "But this is the chance I've been waiting for...all my life! You know, I've lived under the shadow of my father's actions for too long now..."_

_"Just because your father was a coward, it doesn't mean you are!" Milah protested immediately._

_"Ah I know that, as do you! But to the world; fighting in this war finally gives me the chance to prove that to everyone else." Rumpelstiltskin responded quickly and gave his wife's hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze._

_"Go." Milah then said, unable to hold back a smile as she looked her husband in his gorgeous, deep brown eyes. "Be brave. Fight...honorably..."_

_Rumpelstiltskin breathed out a heavy sigh of relief_

_._  
><em>"Oh God I love you-<em>

_"-I love you too!" Milah finished, both now beaming at the other, basking in the glow that their love had created during the moment. Milah rested her hand on his chest, her eyes searching his as if trying to read his thoughts, though she already had a good idea of what was on his mind._

_"When you return, we can start living a life we've always dreamed of. We can have a-"_

_"-a family!" Rumpelstiltskin jumped in, finishing her sentence with her. The two shared a breathy laugh and met their lips once more over the table. If Rumpelstiltskin was to leave in the morning, then Milah planned on making the most of the time she had with him, unknowing if he would even be able to return to her after the war._

XXX

Rumpelstiltskin pulled himself from his thoughts before they got away with his mind. He stood up from his bed and neatly folded the blanket, returning it to its natural place on the nightstand. For a moment, he looked at the blanket with a soft expression until recent events caught up with his mind and his cold eyes narrowed. Heather had been in his room, and he intended to never let that happen again. Rolling up the cuffs on his crimson red poet shirt, Rumpelstiltskin hurriedly walked from his room to find his nosy apprentice, using a simple magic spell that made her footprints glow so as he could follow them to the bedroom she chose for the night. He didn't even bother knocking when he came to the door and instead flicked his wrist, forcing the door to open magically and a bit forcefully. His cold eyes happened upon her almost immediately, finding her nose in the spell book he had given her earlier as she had made herself comfortable on her bed.

"You!" The Imp seethed through his blackening teeth, pointing a twisted finger at her. "You...you were in my room dearie!" He chided angrily.

Heather was startled when he suddenly came in, and she snapped out of her concentration when he chided her angrily. She politely answered him, remaining as calm as she could,

"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't know it was your room. I'll make sure to avoid entering there from here on out."

Rumpelstiltskin's finger twitched, as if begging to do some amount of magic to the girl that would most certainly show her a lesson in sticking her nose in places it didn't belong, however the deal that he had made with her counterpart stopped him from doing so, and so he jabbed his finger at her angrily, accentuating him pointing at her.

"Don't let it happen again." He threatened after finally coming up with the words to speak to her with and turned to leave from her threshold.

Heather could feel Evelyn smirk in her mind and hear her laughter in regards to the deal she made with Rumpelstiltskin. Heather nodded at his threat to show she took it seriously. When he turned though, she asked politely,

"Who's Baelfire?" She figured she might as well ask since he knew that she went into his room earlier. It was impossible to _not_ notice the baby blanket that was out of place in the grandiose yet gloomy castle.

The Dark One froze in his step, his hand still on the threshold of her room, gripping the wood tightly until his knuckles became pale. After a few silent moments, Rumpelstiltskin took the few steps backwards back into her room and propped himself up against the doorway, folding his arms across his chest. He was surprised to learn that, being the second time he had been asked this same question, it seemed to be just _that_ much easier to talk about. It seemed that even though Belle was gone, a part of her still remained, nestled somewhere deep into his dark heart.

"A child." He said simply, for the moment deciding that was all that he wished to reveal to her, however his tongue kept moving. "My child." His eyes fell from Heather to the floor beneath him as if he were ashamed of something.

Heather silently swallowed a lump in her throat as he answered, surprised that he didn't attempt to curse or hex her as he looked like he was about to just seconds ago.

"I see..."

She could hear Hyde demand mentally to ask for more information, but Jekyll ignored Hyde. Eventually, Hyde said to her in her mind,

"_Well, if you won't ask, then __**I**__ will!_"

Before Jekyll even knew, her voice acted up according to Evelyn's will and she asked, sounding as though Jekyll was still in control and convincingly so,

"Did...something happen to Baelfire?" Jekyll's appearance remained the same as Hyde forced the question out into the open.

Rumpelstiltskin looked completely unfazed by the question; if anything, he had been expecting it. He kept his eyes on the floor, however, finding it easier to pretend that he was talking out-loud rather than to someone else.

"I lost her...a long time ago...along with her mother..."

Jekyll swallowed another lump at the answer. Hyde asked Rumpelstiltskin, still pretending that Jekyll was asking,

"Lost her...How did you lose them?" Jekyll felt terrible. She was probably forcing the Imp in front of her to relive the memories as Hyde asked the questions.

His face and eyes darkened a bit as he recalled the exact events that answered Heather's question, however he held his tongue this time though he finally looked up from the floor to meet the woman's eyes.

"They're gone, not much more to tell dearie." He answered with a casual shrug.

"I see. My condolences,"

He took in a quick breath and pulled himself from his position in the doorway. "Now...if you're done skinning the monster for information, I bid you goodnight."

When he made his comment, she replied as she turned away from him, her back facing him, "Oh don't worry. This monster is done asking questions. Good night, Rumpelstiltskin."

The Imp's mouth fell open to immediately correct himself, as she had obviously taken his words the wrong way. He hadn't intended to call _her_ a monster, she was nothing of the sort! He had grown so used to calling himself the monster...the..._beast_, and being called as such, that he hadn't stopped to think that others might refer to themselves in the same manner...a truth that he wasn't sure he would be able to stomach. He promptly shut his mouth to keep from looking like a fool, though he did manage a few stuttering sounds before he had in obvious protest of her reply. Recovering from that, however, he just let out a soft sigh and without a word, turned to leave the threshold once again, returning to his room for the remainder of the evening.

Heather ignored Hyde's cackling that echoed in her mind, as she sat down at her bed and hid her face in her pillow. She couldn't help but remember every single evil deed Hyde had committed the moment Heather called Hyde and herself a monster.

Every single injury Hyde gave to others...

Every single murder Hyde had committed over the past five years...

They all came back to her like a racing horse drawn carriage. She told herself again and again that she was away from the people she cared about and they would be safe from her. But it only made her miss them even more. But even then...even then it seemed that no matter where she went, people would get hurt. Even here, in this entirely new world, Alexandre stood somewhere awaiting execution...and it was all because of her. He wouldn't have insisted staying at The Dark Castle if she hadn't been there...hell, he wouldn't have been there in the first place if he wasn't tasked with bringing her to Rumpelstiltskin. That just went to prove that Dr. Jekyll didn't need to be Evelyn Hyde to harm anyone, and perhaps she was becoming more of the monster than she had initially realized...

With those thoughts, she could feel tears come from her eyes and land on the pillow she used to hide her face.

**Author's Note:  
><strong>

****Yes, Baelfire is now a girl. I have reasons for this. :) You're just gonna have to trust me  
><strong>**


	8. Chapter 8: Mind and Madness

**Author's Note:**

**Ah flashbacks, they reveal so much and yet leave us wanting to know more. This is the last chapter for Day 1, and we still have a whole 'nother day before this prologue comes to a close. Keep reading my dearies! I hope you aren't disappointed thus far!**

Hours into the night and Heather was still up, trying to read the contents of the spell book despite the heavy eyelids that threatened to close and the foreign language it was written in. She knew very well that Hyde had promised not to take over when she had got angry earlier, but that didn't mean she would hold that same promise for when Heather would fall asleep. Heather could feel a headache as the nonsense words and symbols started to blur. It was clear that her weariness was finally getting to her. Her head bobbed as she tried to stay awake, and eventually, she found herself in a different landscape. One created by her mind, never noticing as it was happening; each and every lit candle in the castle dousing and relighting.

_"Heather...Heather, you really should get some rest." _

_Heather, who found herself sitting in a chair, looked up from staring at the ground to see her friend John Utterson, wearing his nice and prim suit, standing in front of her. _

_"John...? What...?" _She whispered in confusion.__

_John chuckled. "Have you been up working again? And you called **me** a workaholic," He then stood behind her and he whispered into her ear, "Sleep, Heather. Don't worry about anything." _

_Heather shook her head and she answered, "I can't...I can't, then she'll take over..."_

_John hushed, "You'll be okay, nobody's going to take over. Sleep, Heather. Sleep and let me dream for you. **Leave everything to me**!"_

_Heather's eyes widened immediately and she felt herself jerking away from her friend.  
><em>

_"You're her! Get away from me, you're her!"She exclaimed in panic.  
><em>

_John backed away and walked to stand back in front of her, his mouth opening but the voice no longer of himself, but of Evelyn Hyde._

_"Well, OF COURSE it's me, Sister! Who else lives inside of your head?" Evelyn then nodded to herself in John's body and she asked, "But don't I scrub up nice?" She continued, gradually changing her voice back to John's. "Just let go...Let me dream for you. Rest, Heather..." _

_"Stop it!" Heather shouted. Evelyn recoiled from Heather and replied bitterly in her usual voice, _

_"My, my! That was uncalled for, sister!"_

_Heather growled at her counterpart who was still taking on the persona of her dear friend John Utterson. _

_"Don't you speak in his voice! Don't you dare speak in ANY of their VOICES!"_

_Evelyn sneered. "What's so special about them? Annoying lawyer, old fart butler, and irritating scientist!" She then mocked John in his own voice, "Don't listen to Victor, he's just an arse! Oh Heather, you're brilliant! Oh Heather, you're amazing!" Evelyn Hyde then asked in her own voice, "Don't you get sick of that shit?" She chuckled. "He met me, you know. Looked riiiight at me, and he didn't see you. Sherlock Holmes with only an eighth of a brain."_

_Heather covered her ears and she begged, "Stop it! Stop!"_

_"Why?! What's the big deal sister?! I'm serious! What. Is. The. Big. Deal with the people you are so willing to abandon, just to protect them?" _Evelyn sneered. _Before Heather could even answer, Evelyn looked up from creator and she smirked saying coyly, still in John's body with his voice this time, "Oh wait, someone's here to see you..."_

_It was at this time that Alexandre seemed to slink out from the shadows. At least...it looked like Alexandre. His hair was dirty and greasy, splayed about in an unkempt manner. His bright blue eyes, usually full of life, were dull and dead, with heavy bags underneath them. His clothes, too, were tattered and worn, rife with patches and tears in the fabric. _

_Heather widened her eyes and whispered softly,_

__"Alexandre...? But...what...?" __

_"Why'd you do it, Heather?" He asked her despairingly, yet his face showed no change in expression. "I trusted you. Thought you were a friend...but now-" he lifted his arms up, clutching both sides of his head. With a single tug, it separated itself from the rest of his body. No blood, no noise, nothing but silence. "Now we're all mad here." He finished cryptically. _

_Every word felt like a piercing knife stabbed her heart. She widened her eyes even further and tears started to flow down her face when he tore his own head off of his own neck. She lowered her head and she whimpered, _

_"Stop it! Alexandre, I'm so sorry...!" She cried, before she looked back up towards Evelyn with a glare, who was smirking with amusement, and she spoke angrily "You wanted to know what the big deal is? You're in my own head! Why don't you see for yourself?!"_

_Evelyn blinked at the answer and before Heather knew it, Evelyn was down on her knees, and Heather could see tears pour down Evelyn's face.  
><em>

_"Wh-What?! What is this, Jekyll?!" _Evelyn asked with a snarl.__

_Heather answered coldly, "Something that you're not ready for, and will never be ready for, you monstrous child! I will not let what happened to Alexandre happen to anyone else I meet! Even if it means being alone for the rest of my life, I won't allow anyone to get hurt! EVER AGAIN!" After that the scenery,Evelyn and Alexandre all faded into darkness, and Jekyll lost consciousness._

In the real world, Jekyll had fallen asleep on the bed, with the book nearby. The candles had stopped flickering and remained lit as though to show that Jekyll had won the internal struggle for now. Hyde didn't seem to make any attempt to take over the body and wreak havoc this night.

XXX

The Cat - no - _Alexandre_ found himself materializing inside a castle, past the portcullis and courtyard. The cool tile floor was first to meet him as he fully appeared face-down on the floor. Groaning in a mixture of pain and fatigue, he managed to lift himself on his hands and knees, blinking several times to let his eyes adjust to the new environment. Realization hit him like he was being run down by a horse.

"No..." He hoarsely whispered out, quickly scuttling to his feet. Everything was different, and yet the same. The floors looked the same, the bricks smelled the same, and the overall environment felt the same. But there was an underlying sense of dread in the air. Something was amiss, causing him to not even comprehend that Rumpelstiltskin hadn't indeed sent him back to Wonderland.

"Where - where is Charming?" He asked aloud to himself, his voice echoing off the walls, "...Charming...charming...charming...arming...ming..." It was as if his own echo was mocking him by repeating the name of the man whole stole her heart from him. Alexandre could still hear her soft giggle, filled with nothing but kindness and happiness. How she would sneak away to see him in one of the abandoned towers and speak to him, some days for only a few moments, and others, a few hours.

"Snow." He whispered reverently, as if the name itself held some sort of power, control. Before he could continue his thought, he heard the shuffle of plate boots on the floor, and realized guards were coming for him - and fast.

"It's alright, Cat, just disappear!" He thought to himself as if it was nothing. He closed his eyes and exhaled, waiting for the confused mumblings of the guards as the source of the disturbance had disappeared. However, this wasn't the case.

"There he is, grab him!" One voice commanded. Alexandre's eyes opened abruptly and before he had time to react, he was being restrained by two guards while a third held him at sword point.

"An intruder - how did he get in here?!" The guard with the sword, presumably the commander, barked. "I want those door guards emptying chamberpots!" He said sharply. Turning back towards Alexandre, an evil smile flashed across his chapped, gray lips. "Take him to the dungeon. The Queen will deal with him when she returns." He ordered with a wave of his hand. Without another word, the two guards dragged him across the floor, down the spiral staircase to the dungeon.

"Get your hands off me, you ineffectual twits! I'm a personal friend of Snow White's!" Alexandre called haughtily, not enjoying the rough treatment he was receiving. All he received in return from the guards was a cruel laugh and a few japes.

"Oh, excuse me then, _Sir_. We'll be sure to put you in the _royal_ cell." One said before tossing him into a damp, dank, barred room. Alexandre landed hard on the cold stone floor, dirtying his coat and trousers in the process. The resounding _clang_ of the door slamming shut echoed off the walls, as if reminding Alexandre of his incarceration. There was no guard posted at the dungeon. It was rumored the cells were magically sealed so as to prevent escape in any form. Alexandre pulled his coat off and laid it down by his feet before sitting down in the center of the cell. The cell was sparsely furnished, with a lice-infested pile of hay serving as a 'bed', a splintered wooden chair, and a stained chamberpot that apparently hadn't been washed out in months, years even. Alexandre tapped a single finger on the stone floor, pondering. Why hadn't his magic worked? Were this under normal circumstances, he could have disappeared instantaneously without even a second thought. It all worked easily - when he was a cat. Could Rumpelstiltskin have tricked him again? Alexandre sneered.

"Can he not just make a proper deal _ONCE_?" He seethed aloud to himself, standing up to pace about the cell. Even as a cat he couldn't stay still for long. If there was any good time to think, this was the best time. The only sounds to accompany him were the scuttling of mice and the random _drip_ of water on the ground. An eerie silence, empty. A small smile twitched at the edge of Alexandre's lips as he began to remember fond things from a time before; losing himself in memory.

_**A few years ago...**_

_The Cat sauntered about his new 'home' approvingly, deeming it good enough to live. Though, anything would be better than Wonderland. The Queen had been endlessly pursuing him, no doubt wanting his head removed from his shoulders. He felt, hopefully, that the people here would be friendlier, but he didn't wish to take any chances and was sure to remain invisible when skulking about the main body of the castle. But this wing was abandoned and no one ever came in there, leaving him confident enough to stay corporeal. _

_ He hopped up on the large, dusty, yet comfortable double bed, curling into a ball in hopes catching a nap before exploring some more. Sleep came to him in restless fits, until the Cat decided he wouldn't get reprieve tonight. He lifted his head slowly, his tail swishing from side to side. His large eyes seemed to lower to the key that hung from his neck. The feeling of the cool metal against his warm fur only seemed to remind him of what he had lost. _

_He pawed at it, as if hoping that his touch would bring her back to him. But he was just a Cat - a cat without friends and without hope. He laid his head down on the bed once more, trying to will himself to sleep. _

_The oak door suddenly creaked open and a young woman hurriedly entered the room, immediately starting to go through the drawers in her haste to find something. Her long, raven black hair reached halfway down her back, a stunningly beautiful contrast of her snow white skin and ruby red lips. She wore a dress of royalty, a black leather corset restraining her chest and back only for the powder blue dress to fluff out where the corset stopped and her natural, tiny figure began. _

_The Cat was quickly taken off guard as the door swiftly opened with a woman pouring through the threshold, obviously in a hurry. Knowing it was too late to become invisible, he simply tried to curl up even tighter in hopes she wouldn't notice him on the bed, though he kept a single eye open to watch, just in case._

_She paid no mind to the cat, seemingly lost in her own thoughts of her reasoning behind visiting the abandoned wing until her delicate fingers finally happened upon a small child's tiara, beautifully crafted in the finest diamonds and silver that scattered the small amount of light that trickled in through the stained glass. She paused, letting out a breathy laugh as her nimble fingers traced a few of the diamonds, content and relieved now in finding that of which had been lost to her. Only then did her doe-like eyes happen upon the curled up cat on the bed. She smiled sweetly at the feline and brought herself over to sit on the edge of the bed, letting her hand scratch the cat behind the ears, her other hand holding fast to the tiara in her lap. Against his better instincts, The Cat began to purr at the touch; a strange feeling, having only been a cat for a few days now._

_"And I don't suppose you had something to do with this did you?" Snow White asked the cat jokingly, not at all expecting a response. However, a response was what she got._

_"No, not that I recall. I prefer to simply watch. Stealing isn't in my nature." He finished calmly, his smile seeming to curl eerily. Snow White quickly retreated her hand the moment she heard a voice coming out of the feline._

_"Oh! Oh I'm so sorry I thought - you can talk!" She returned her hand to her lap and stood up from the bed, turning to face the talking animal, just now realizing the grin the cat wore somewhat unnaturally on his face._

_"No harm done." The Cat replied neutrally, standing on all-fours and stretching. "Yes, yes, I can talk. Most convenient, considering my current plight." _

_"Did...did Regina do this to you?" Snow then asked quietly, not so much surprised that there was a talking cat in her castle anymore, but already gathering that magic was involved and was already trying to get down to the bottom of it's origin. The Cat shook his head 'no'. _

_"Ah, your step-mother. No, she wasn't involved. I doubt she knows I exist. This was done by another - the Queen of Heartssss." He hissed, holding on to the last 's' of the word 'hearts'. There was no need to frighten the girl by mentioning The Dark One, especially since she seemed to respond well to his being there. Relief washed away Snow's worried expression and she moved to sit back down on the edge of the bed again, though giving the cat his respectable distance._

_"The Queen of Hearts?" She asked out loud. "Then...then you must be from Wonderland!" She quickly observed and tilted her head to the side with interest. "What...why are you here?"_

_The Cat sauntered over, closer to her before sitting back on his haunches, his tail swishing about. _

_"The Queen, God bless her, doesn't much like it when people don't fear her." He leaned in slowly, "I didn't fear her." He said coldly before straightening his posture once again. "She wanted me executed. I looked...much more comely then. But I escaped. Right at the headsman's block, high marks for timing. Anyways, I turned into a cat and ran away. Exiled from all of Wonderland." He explained in a tone that wasn't unkind. Snow raised a tentative hand before running it over the cat's back in a simple stroke._

_"You are very brave." She commended him, seeming to take the news unnaturally well. She returned her hand to her lap and let her gaze wander from the cat to the tiara she held in her lap. The Cat shook his head once again. _

_"No...no, I'm not brave. Bravery and I are not on intimate terms, you see...but thank you." He finished simply. Snow turned to look back at the cat and broke into a sweet smile._

_"You might not think so, but your heart is true...I can tell...and you sir, are indeed brave." She nodded once, affirmatively, indicating that it wasn't to be argued over any longer. "So...you **turned** into a cat? You mean...you weren't cursed into becoming one?" She asked, letting herself change the subject. _

_"To be completely honest, much of it was a blur. I remember the feel of cold steel at my neck, learning its mark whilst preparing for the strike. Then, there was a flash, and next thing I knew, I was running away with twice as many legs as before. And this...grin.." He added, disgusted. Snow couldn't help but to laugh softly, not at his own expense, but because she was imagining the obscurity of the events that he had described._

_"Well...if it's any consolation, I rather like the grin. I think more cats should smile the way you do." She kept her smile and then once again moved to stand, though still facing the cat. "My step-mother may be Queen of this castle, but I am still a Princess. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like, as long as you stay out of Regina's way. She doesn't take too kindly to guests..."_

_If the Cat could blush, he most likely would have; if not at her compliment, then at her laugh. It was a sweet sound, like the soft singing of a beautiful bird._

_"Your kindness is noted, Your Highness. If there's anything I'm good at, it's staying out of the way." He reassured her. He was surprised by himself. How open he was, how...friendly. Were it anyone else talking to him, he would have been cold, wicked even. But this girl was different; and in that moment, he wished he was human more than ever. Snow offered a small curtsey to the cat upon the bed, still holding her radiant smile._

_"Please...call me Snow. Snow White."_

_"A pleasure. My name is-" the Cat stopped himself, finally realizing that he didn't even remember his own name. Is that all it took? A few days of traveling was all it took to forget one's own name? Or was it his current choice of body? Whatever the case, he didn't know what to call himself. "Call me, The Cat. No...The **Cheshire** Cat." He finally decided, his voice gaining more confidence as he finally made his choice. _

_"A pleasure, Cheshire Cat." Snow said, using the name given to out of nothing but respect, not even hesitating to question why he hadn't given his real name. She just accepted it, trusting him with his secrets. The Cat looked her in the eyes before speaking next. _

_"Snow White. That's a lovely name. Quite beautiful." He complimented, still purring quietly in he background. _

_"My mother named me." Snow then said, a bit softer than her already soft voice usually spoke. The chimes of the castle clock quickly brought Snow to attention, and after counting the strikes she sighed. "I have to go, but I'll be back tonight and I'll see what kind of supper I can bring up here to you." Snow hurried over to the door that she had entered in and looked back to the cat. "It really was nice meeting you...Cheshire..." She smiled at him once more before slipping out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. _

_"And you...Snow." The Cat responded, sighing quietly when she left. Acting as though nothing happened, he returned to the center of the bed, curling in a ball to sleep; finding it come much easier to him now..._

XXX

As Alexandre saw the memory come and go, he was either unaware of or unwilling to take notice of the fresh tears that had begun to stream down his cheeks. That first meeting was one of many between him and Snow. Everyday she would come to him, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours, in this very castle. Sneaking food to him when she could and both of them always having a story to share.

_"She was my best friend..."_ Alexandre thought to himself, too tired to talk. _"My only friend."_ He added bitterly. _"And now she's gone forever..."_

Crawling to the center of the cell, he curled himself up into a ball, clutching at his key as he willed himself to sleep...

**Author's Note: Wow the feels on this one huh? Poor Cheshire. He may be a player, but he's got quite the past. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! There's more to read so go on! Click that 'next' button! I know you want to!  
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	9. Chapter 9: Rememberance of Things Past

**Author's Note:**

**Wow! Nearly a hundred views so far (and one review :p )! This is great, I really hope you guys are enjoying the strange twists I've been putting in here and there. Again I took the easy way out on this chapter and used some flashbacks that are incredibly identical to the show, but hey, what can you do? The canon in this particular flashback was just too good to pass up. We finally get to see Charming in this chapter, he's a lot more difficult to write for than I had imagined, but I think I did a decent job. Happy reading!**

**_Many, many years ago..._**

_It had been eight months since Rumpelstiltskin left home to join the Ogre's War, though six of those months he spent in training, learning for the first time how to wield a weapon as well as many other survival techniques taught in basic training. The last two months that Rumpelstiltskin had spent at the main camp, however, proved to be quite simple if you didn't count the impeding cold of the unrelenting snow fall. Still though, Rumpelstiltskin remained in high spirits as this war would change his fate forever, and no one would believe him to be a coward like his father any longer._

_One particular morning, as Rumpelstiltskin was making his rounds in the camp garbed in the king's signature armor of thick black studded armor with accented chain mail around the neck and joints and a thick wool cape to help against the cold, a guard captain stepped out of his tent and called out to him as he passed by._

_"Soldier!"_

_Rumpelstiltskin turned as the guard captain sheathed his sword and looked around him to make sure the guard captain wasn't addressing someone else._

_"Me?" He asked when no one else seemed to be in the immediate area. The Guard Captain didn't hesitate as he walked towards Rumpelstiltskin and closed the distance between them._

_"I'm needed at the front." He explained and gestured over to a crate beside the tent that was covered in a thick square of canvas. "Guard this crate with your life." The Guard Captain said incredibly seriously._

_"Wh-whats under there?" Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help but to ask._

_"A prisoner who can help us turn the tide against the Ogres. Careful, it's a tricky beast."_

_"Yes-sir!" Rumpelstiltskin nodded both to signal that he understood the Guard Captain's warning as well as understanding his assignment. The Guard Captain nodded back to Rumpelstiltskin and headed off to where he was needed, and Rumpelstiltskin crossed over to the covered crate in which he was to guard until someone came to relieve him._

_He watched the life in the small camp before him in an effort to pass the time, observing the blacksmiths grinding and molding new weapons and refining armor, and watched the various soldiers, like himself, who were busy with preparatory tasks to ensure the camp's safety. These were the sights and sounds familiar to the man, the sights and sounds he had grown accustomed to over the last eight months and strangely began to feel comfort in, again thinking about how this war would change his life for the better forever. What he wasn't prepared for, however, was a child's voice calling out to him from behind._

_"Rumpelstiltskin!" The voice seemed to echo in an eerie manner. Rumpelstiltskin quickly looked around his immediate surroundings, however when he found no one near him, nor anyone reacting to the strange voice, he felt his heart begin to beat just a little bit faster. His eyes settled on the covered up crate and hesitated as he approached it. With a quick movement, he tossed the front flap of the canvas up and over the cage and peered inside, immediately spotting a small child with a wild head of red hair._

_"You're a child..." Rumpelstiltskin observed out loud, recalling that the Guard Captain had called this child a prisoner earlier. The child looked up slowly at Rumpelstiltskin and he was forced a couple steps backwards as the child's face was unlike any he had ever seen. The area in which her eyes should have been looked to have been sewn shut with thick, black lace that crossed over her nose to each eye, and then up her forehead at an angle and disappearing beneath her hair-covered scalp. The child simply stuck her hand out of the wooden bars of her cage and pointed to a small bucket of water on the ground, kept cold by the snow beneath it._

_"Please, I haven't had a sip in days..." The child pleaded._

_"How do you know my name?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, not even bothering with her request._

_"I'm a seer." The child said plainly and stuck her other hand out of the bars and opened up her hands, facing her palms outwards towards Rumpelstiltskin. He swallowed hard and took yet another step back as Rumpelstiltskin saw an eye in the center in each of her palms, each strikingly blue and full of lashes and...blinking, as an ordinary eye would do. "I see all." The child went on to explain._

_"No no no no no that's-that's not possible. You must have overheard someone speaking." Rumpelstiltskin said, more rationalizing with himself of what he was seeing and how she knew his name._

_"Rumpelstiltskin, son of a coward. Raised by spinsters. Scared of ending up just like his father." The child withdrew her hands back into the cage. "Did I overhear THAT? I told you...I see all; even what has yet to pass."_

_"You mean the future? You can see the future?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, suddenly finding himself growing interested and taking a couple steps towards the prisoner._

_"Indeed I can...including YOURS." She acknowledged._

_"No no no no no, I-I won't indulge this...DARK magic!" Rumpelstiltskin said, practically spitting the word out like a poison in his mouth and waving off the girl, about ready to cover the cage back up with the canvas._

_"Even if what I see concerns your wife, Milah?"_

_Rumpelstiltskin paused and put the canvas back up on the top of the cage._

_"What? Has something happened to her?" He asked, obvious worry in his voice._

_"Give me water." The child seer demanded. Rumpelstiltskin hesitated, if what this girl said was true, then something bad may have happened to his wife, and he would never know...but the price of knowing...was it worth it? He swallowed hard again and went to the bucket of water, filling up the cup that was inside with the cool drink and handed it to the seer between the wooden bars of her cage._

_"Here, slake your thirst witch, and speak of what you know of my wife!" He demanded, occasionally glancing around him to ensure no one had saw him giving the prisoner water. The seer drank the water eagerly, however when she was finished she extended her palm out towards Rumpelstiltskin once more, letting her eye 'see' into him._

_"She is already with child." The seer said almost instantly. Rumpelstiltskin's face began to glow, a wide smile spreading across his healthy looking face and his light brown eyes growing wet with happiness._

_"I'm to be a father?" He asked, overcome with joy of the news._

_"Your wife will bear you a daughter. But your actions on the battlefield tomorrow will leave her fatherless." The seer went on._

_"I'm gonna die? No no no no, y-y-you must tell me how I can stop that happening!" He stammered._

_"You can't." The seer replied bluntly. Rumpelstiltskin's face grimaced._

_"Then I'm done helping you!" He seethed through his clenched teeth and took the water cup back from the child._

_"For now. Someday you'll help me again."_

_"I bet Milah isn't even pregnant. You just said that so I would give you water. And now you're trying to trick me into deserting!" He hissed, once again convincing himself to keep his mind clear of this...dark magic. He knew that nothing ever good came from dark magic, let alone being able to know your own future, and therefore he dismissed the entire thing._

_"You shall see...tomorrow. When you see the army ride cows into battle, you WILL KNOW I speak the truth!" The seer said withdrawing her hand back into the cage._

_"Cows?" Rumpelstiltskin tried not to laugh. "And who's going to man the catapults? Milkmaids?" He teased and dropped the cup back into the water bucket. "I've had enough of your fiendish lies!"_

_"There is no escaping it!" The seer warned him. "You will have a daughter, and your actions WILL leave her fatherless."_

_Rumpelstiltskin shook his head and dragged down the canvas over the front of the cage to cover the prisoner inside once more._

_XXX_

_Many hours had passed since Rumpelstiltskin had spoken with the seer, and it was well into the night. Word had traveled around the camp quickly that their unit would be marching into battle within a few short hours which seemed to ease his mind of the seer's words, if just a bit. Cows? She said they would be riding into battle on cows! And yet, they were told they would be marching. He wanted to laugh at his brief moment of believing the seer, at his own stupidity, however something in his gut kept him from doing so. The camp sounds of blacksmiths refining weapons and armor and the dull roar of soldiers talking amongst themselves no longer brought the comfort he used to have, and instead, the sounds were a constant reminder that it was quite possible...he could die._

_Having been relieved hours ago from watching over the crate, Rumpelstiltskin walked around the camp, keeping his hand at his hip where his sword was sheathed, feeling it's weight growing heavier and heavier with each step. There was a sudden bustle and a small group of soldiers entered the camp, some limping and bracing themselves against walking sticks, and others being carried on stretchers as they no longer had legs to even walk on anymore._

_"Lucky bastards." A voice from behind Rumpelstiltskin sounded. Rumpelstiltskin turned to see a fellow soldier looking on at the wounded as well, a soldier that Rumpelstiltskin had grown to know over the past few months as they had been recruited at the same time._

_"Well...I think they'd beg to differ..." Rumpelstiltskin said trying to make light of the situation, but it wasn't helping the growing knot in his stomach._

_"They're not dead...but they can't fight, which means...they get sent home; that's the only way out of here alive. When the Ogre's rip you limb from limb...pray that they're quick." The soldier explained. Rumpelstiltskin opened his mouth to speak, to protest, however the Guard Captain emerged from his tent and gathered the attention of all the soldiers in the camp._

_"Fortune favors us!" He began jovially. "Fresh supplies have arrived from The Duke! Today we will not be marching into battle; we will be riding!"_

_"Riding?" Rumpelstiltskin felt his heart jump up into his throat. "Riding what?" He practically demanded the Guard Captain._

_"What kind of question is that? A horse of course!" The Guard Captain replied after raising an eyebrow, letting Rumpelstiltskin exhale in relief._

_"Now, grab yourself a cow! GET READY!" The Guard Captain commanded the troops._

_"I'm s-s-s-sorry-wha-w-what did ya say?" Rumpelstiltskin stammered upon hearing that one dreadful word._

_"A cow...the saddles we just got in, made from the finest leather. We call them cows. Grab yours, so at least the ride into doom will be soft one on your backside." The Guard Captain nodded to Rumpelstiltskin and the other soldiers and left them to make preparations, leaving Rumpelstiltskin looking exceptionally pale in the face with his body shaking in terror. The soldier who Rumpelstiltskin was familiar with put an arm on his shoulder._

_"Are you alright?" He asked his friend. Rumpelstiltskin nodded his head upon instinct, however his mind was far from easy._

_"Yes, yes, you go on-I'll catch up..." He assured his friend. The soldier nodded and left Rumpelstiltskin be. As soon as the soldier was gone, Rumpelstiltskin hurried over to the crate where the seer had been earlier._

_"So it's all true..." Rumpelstiltskin said talking through the canvas that covered the cage. "I'm going to have a daughter...and I'm going to die..." He felt his heart rising and pounding harshly against his chest as he waited for the child inside to answer him, however, no reply came. "ANSWER ME!" Rumpelstiltskin yelled and tore the canvas off of the cage, revealing it to be completely empty. A sound of shock came from Rumpelstiltskin, his only glimmer of hope...of finding a way to change his future...was gone. He cried out in frustration and beat his fists upon the empty cage in a wild rage until his eyes caught sight of something lying on a nearby blacksmiths anvil. An iron maul._

_Rumpelstiltskin stared down the object as if it were a fearsome foe, and felt beads of cold sweat starting to trickle down his neck. He took a few tentative steps towards the maul and grasped it with both of his hands, unable to keep his eyes off of the iron head of the weapon. His hands shook violently as he raised the heavy object until the iron head was straight up in the air. Both terror and grief visibly overcame his face as he looked away from the weapon and with all of his strength, brought the maul down on his right shin. The air was filled with a sickening sound of a bone snapping, as well as the cries and screams coming from the pained Rumpelstiltskin. He fell to the ground in dirt and snow, dropping the maul and clutching his broken leg as he writhed around in the dirt in pain, the mud slush sticking to the tears that streamed down his grimaced face as his vocal pain echoed into the cool, winter night's air._

XXX

Rumpelstiltskin jerked awake in his bed gasping for breath, his greenish skin coated with a thin layer of sweat. As soon as the present caught up with him, he began to relax, however was unable to shake the memories that continually haunted his dreams. He pulled the top blanket off of him and moved to get off the bed, however his entire lower right leg refused to cooperate with him. He sighed deeply as he ran his hand over his thin shin where the memories pained him even more than the physical pain itself. A small wisp of purple magic emitted from his hand and encircled around his leg and the pain eventually began to subside, but now...now he couldn't get his mind off of it...

The baby blanket off to the side of his bed caught his attention as it had the night before and he reached over to bring it into his lap. He thumbed at the name stitched across it lovingly and let out a sigh as he remembered the very moment he returned home from the Ogre's War and back to his wife, Milah.

XXX

_It was nearly spring by the time Rumpelstiltskin spotted his humble little cottage nestled snugly into the mountains, and despite the searing pain that grew with each step he took, Rumpelstiltskin hastened his pace with a new feeling of hope in his heart. Aided only by a crude bandage job to his ankle area with a two sticks on either side serving as a brace for his shin, and a crude walking stick, Rumpelstiltskin limped along, calling out for his wife Milah as soon as he knew his voice would be able to carry into the house where he knew her to be._

_"Milah! MILAH!" Rumpelstiltskin forced open the front door with his left hand, as his right was occupied with keeping his balance with the walking stick. As soon as the door opened, Rumpelstiltskin spotted his wife standing in the center of the room, holding a tiny infant swaddled up in a simple-sewn blanket. He looked past the look of utter surprise that Milah gave him once she saw who had come through her door, as his soft brown eyes landed immediately on the child._

_"Rumpel..." Milah said softly in her surprise to find her husband in her home after so many months away. Rumpelstiltskin hobbled himself into the house more, feeling relief that his journey had finally come to an end and that he might finally rest without fear of being attacked during the night. He outstretched his left hand, pointing delicately at the child in his wife's arms._

_"Whats her name?" He asked, gasping for breath as he willed himself to a wooden chair so that he might rest properly. Milah hesitated for a moment, her eyes looking her husband up and down but more-so resting on his injured leg._

_"Baelfire." She said at last, unable to hold back a proud smile as she uttered the name. Rumpelstiltskin breathed out heavily, trying to laugh but was too tired to make much of a sound._

_"A strong name!" He commended happily and fell onto his knees to packed dirt floor by the chair, as his legs refused to carry him a single step further._

_"It's something she'll need...if she's to live with the shame of being your daughter." Milah replied bluntly as she watched her husband struggle to pull himself off of the floor and into the wooden chair, causing him to be even more winded in the process._

_"Wh-wha-what are you talking about?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, gripping onto his knee tightly in an effort to dull the pain shooting through his leg._

_"Rumpel is it true?"_

_Rumpelstiltskin attempted to move his attention from nursing his leg to his wife, confusion mixing in with the physical pain he wore on his face._

_"Is what true?" He breathed out heavily._

_"Did you injure yourself?" Milah practically demanded, a tinge of sorrow in her voice. "So that you wouldn't have to fight? So that you would be sent home?"_

_"Who told you that?" He snapped._

_"EVERYONE!" Milah snapped back, holding Baelfire closer to her chest as her voice began to rise. "Rumors travel quickly from the front..." She added on quickly, making sure to make an effort to keep her voice down, however when Rumpelstiltskin didn't answer right away, Milah burst. "Rumpel did you do this to yourself? DID YOU DO THI-"_

_"YES!" Rumpelstiltskin shouted back, though his head was hung low and unable to look into the eyes of his own wife as guilt quickly overtook him. "A seer told me that I was going to die in the battle..."_

_"You did this because a SEER told you to do it?" She hissed through clenched teeth._

_"She was right about everything else! I left the front to be with you!" He said, extending his hand out to gesture towards her. He choked heavily on his words in an effort to keep the tears at bay. "To be with...Baelfire..."_

_"You left because you were afraid. You became what everyone thought you were...A COWARD-"_

_"Shutup..."_

_"JUST LIKE YOU'RE FATHER!"_

_Rumpelstiltskin bolted out of the chair, unable to stand her words any longer and knocking the chair over in his anger in the process._

_"I'M NOTHING LIKE MY FATHER! He tried to abandon me! I will never, ever do that to my daughter. That's why I did this-" Rumpelstiltskin gestured heavily towards his leg. "-for HER! All for the girl! To save her from the same fate I suffered; growing up without a father..." He felt his legs beginning to give out on him once more and stooped down awkwardly to pick the chair back up and rested back down on it, shaking his head side to side as Milah continued to argue with him._

_"You sentence her to a fate much worse; growing up as YOUR daughter..."_

_"Wha, wh-what else could I do?" He asked looking back up at her, his voice and eyes pleading._

_"You could have FOUGHT, Rumpel. You could have DIED!"_

_Rumpelstiltskin's face immediately fell, even more than the emotions Milah had stirred up in him had already done leaving his mouth open slightly agape._

_"You don't mean that." He said to her quietly, and then repeated it once more, louder, when she said nothing in return. Milah instead turned her head to look away from him, however she walked with the baby in her arms to Rumpelstiltskin and laid the baby in his arms before grabbing an empty water bucket and left the home without another word._

_The very moment Baelfire was laid into his arms, Rumpelstiltskin felt his emotions take a complete turn. Suddenly, what Milah said didn't matter anymore. The pain his leg was experiencing was no longer there and the thought of his own future was no longer in his mind. All there was, was Baelfire, his daughter, staring up at him with her gorgeous brown eyes, smiling and gurgling up at him. A soft sound of awe came from his throat as he looked down upon the miracle he had helped to create and found his arms instinctively bouncing the baby up and down ever so gently as he held her close to him._

_"It's alright Bae..." He cooed, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching into a smile as he met his daughter's stare. Baelfire let out a soft, happy sound and reached her tiny arm up, her hand grabbing onto Rumpelstiltskin's nose. "It's alright...your papa's here. And I promise, I will never, EVER leave you..."_

XXX

Rumpelstiltskin folded the blanket he held in his lap back up delicately and returned it to his nightstand. Now with his leg acting properly with the aid of magic, he got up from his bed and quickly bathed himself, getting dressed in a white poet shirt with a black leather vest over the top and matching black leather pants with black boots that nearly reached his knees. He pulled aside a sheet that had been covering up a full-length mirror in his bedroom and stared right back at the cold eyes his reflection gave back to him and took in a deep breath, taking in his disfigured and ugly appearance. He covered the mirror back up completely and without even so much as letting his new apprentice know his intentions, he was gone in a puff of blood red smoke.

XXX

Lost in his dreams, Prince Charming tossed and turned in his sleep, clutching the fabric of the sheets below him and his legs tangled up in the blanket that was to lay over the top of him. Small beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as she thrashed around, the images of Snow White and her swollen stomach haunting him over and over again as she cried out to him for help. The images changed from Snow to his mother-in-law; Regina. She let lose a cold laugh that sent a chills down his spine and suddenly, both she and Snow were gone.

"Snow!" Charming shouted, bolting upright in bed and gasping for air. Shaking his head and taking a brief moment to run his fingers through his mess of brown hair, Charming quickly got dressed and went down the stairs; perhaps if he went to the beach to collect his thoughts, the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach would subside.

James scoffed. Like that would ever happen. He had been unable to shake the growing feeling of guilt, pain and nausea the very moment he heard what Snow had done, how she had sacrificed herself for him; for their love.

"Snow, I will find you, and we will have a glowing, healthy baby that will cause more trouble for the both of us then we will know what to do with." He promised as he looked into the mirror at his reflection before departing out of his castle and taking a brisk walk to his and Snow's spot on the beach.

"Still dressing like a prince I see..." A familiar voice sounded behind Prince James. "And with no princess to rule over; such a shame..." Rumpelstiltskin was sitting on a large rock by the ocean not fifteen feet away from Charming, one leg crossed over the other and looking quite content in his current position there. Funny, Charming could have sworn he wasn't there just a second ago…

"Rumpelstiltskin!" Charming growled through his teeth and instinctively reached for his sword at his hip but stopped when he quickly remembered the last time he tried that. It didn't end so well. "What are you doing here you slimy lizard, what do you want?"

Rumpelstiltskin turned his hands outward and shrugged, seeming unaffected by the name-calling.

"I'm just here to help." He said simply, his smile unwavering as he watched Prince James' inner struggle with his presence there.

Charming almost started to laugh. "How can you...'The Dark One'...help _me_?" It was safe to say that Prince James had a hard time trusting the Imp, despite how many times he had offered to help him and Snow in the past. He was still a powerful wizard, an _evil_, powerful wizard.

"Why...the same way I help everyone else!" Rumpelstiltskin hopped off of the barrel he was sitting on.

"Rumpelstiltskin, why are you really here?" Charming walked closer to the sinewy…man. "What is this going to cost me this time?"

"So bold...so gallant...so pointless..." Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help but to roll his eyes a bit at Charming's brash words. However, instead of allowing Prince James the opportunity to respond, Rumpelstiltskin raised his hand and brought his fingers together as a small cloud of purple smoke appeared. By the time the smoke cleared, a small ring was pinched between two of his fingers. "It's no trick dearie, as I said, I'm here to help."

Charming was outraged the moment he saw the ring. "Is that...Snow! H-her ring! You sneaky bastard! How did you get that?" Charming felt his hand tugging at the hilt of his sword, the sound of the metal scraping against the sheath disturbing the air as he pulled it out an inch or two. "Where is she? What have you done to Snow? She was wearing that ring when she died!" It was getting harder and harder for Prince James to keep face; he could feel his emotions getting the better of him but he kept pushing them away. The last thing he needed was for The Dark One to taunt him with a magical tissue.

Rumpelstiltskin simply smiled and let out a slight, amused giggle watching Charming practically fall apart in front of him.

"Me? I haven't done anything to her!" He chided defensively. He tossed the ring up in the air a few feet and let it fall back into his open palm. The ring had changed slightly, a soft glow was now encircled around it and a low, soft humming sound seemed to be pulsing from it. "This ring is now enchanted. The closer you get to Snow White, the br-r-r-righter it will glow!" He said, waving his free hand around enthusiastically.

"And in return...what would I have to do for you?" Charming hesitated, he couldn't believe what was coming out of his own mouth. Was he really going to allow The Dark One to help him? Again? But then again, all things considering Snow; he would do anything.

Rumpelstiltskin closed up his hand around the ring, keeping it from Charming, and pointed a finger at him. "You will be visited by a man today...you'll recognize him immediately as the man with funny hair...he has something I need." Rumpelstiltskin began, gesturing to his own hair flamboyantly when he mentioned 'funny hair.' "He processes a map. I need it." He left it at that; short, simple, and leaving no room for any bartering.

Charming stood there, confused for a few seconds. "Why do you need a map?" He couldn't help but ask. "Can't you just…summon one up or something?" He asked naively, his knowledge of all things magical very slim.

Again, Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes. "This map is _special_." He mused. He opened up his hand again, taunting Charming with Snow White's wedding ring once more. "And this is a deal you want to make, because we both want the _same thing_."

Charming felt like he was making a deal with the devil, but it was the only way to find Snow and their unborn child. Charming stuck out his hand like a true gentleman. "Rumpelstiltskin... I hate to do this, but we have a deal. But if you trick me, mark my words, I will find a way to kill you... for good." Charming was furious, but he managed to keep his emotions hidden.

An unsettling giggle came from Rumpelstiltskin as the threat was made, but he stuck out his free hand and shook the Prince's. "Deal!" He squeaked and once their hands were separated once more, he slipped the enchanted ring into a pocket on his black leather vest. "Bring me the map, and you will be united with your 'twoo wuv' once more." He grinned.

It was such a wrong feeling working with 'The Dark One.' The grin, the giggles, the voice... everything about Rumpelstiltskin made Charming uneasy.

"I will bring you the map later on today, there's a small manner of business I have to-"

"Yes yes yes-" Rumpelstiltskin held up a hand to keep Charming from speaking. "I could do without the details. Just...call out my name when you have it, and the trade will be made."

"Until then our business here is done." Charming nodded once and headed back to his castle, not even bothering to notice Rumpelstiltskin vanishing in a cloud of blood red smoke, although he could hear the giggle he left behind echoing in his mind.

**Author's Note:**

**So for you avid Oncers that have every single scene memorized the way I do, this one is a bit of a recap with a tiny bit of context here and there as far as where and why this fits into my story. I'll try not to do chapters like these too much as I want to keep as original as I can, but as I said before sometimes these things can't be helped. Anywho, ONWARDS (to the next chapter)!**


	10. Chapter 10: Be Still My Heart

**Author's Note:**

**Heeeeeeyyyy Rumbelle fans! You'll like this one! Again, using past scenes from the show but it's an important set up and if you're hardcore Rumbelle like me, then I don't think you'll mind too much, especially the particular scene I chose ;)**

**Also...much Mushu anger lol**

Heather's body had woken herself up early (much to her relief), and she got to work cleaning the castle of the dust before cooking breakfast. As she kept herself busy with these tasks, she couldn't help but recall the events from the previous day. There was clearly more to that mentor of hers, just like there was more to Hyde, but of course, she doubted that she would ever find out. He seemed so closed off from the rest of the world; so distant. Clearly she wasn't brave enough to confront him about the questions she sought answers for as Hyde had to do most of the talking for her last night. As she finished cooking breakfast, which consisted of eggs, fruit, a whole honey-glazed ham and English muffins, she heard pounding on the door. Heather hurried to the door and opened it, grateful she was in the Dining Hall at that particular moment, otherwise she knew she would never of heard it.

"Where is he? Where is that twisted little Imp? I'm going to kill him!" The short woman pushed her way into the castle and past Heather, and although the woman only came up to Heather's shoulders, she held more anger in her body than was probably possible for such a small woman. Heather stumbled a bit when the short woman pushed her way in. She was a bit surprised by the strength the small woman seemed to possess despite her incredibly small stature. Heather couldn't help but to feel incredibly nervous, considering that this woman wanted to kill Rumpelstiltskin and even though she had only known her mentor for a day, she knew that wouldn't end well. She said to her patiently and politely,

"I'll go get Rumpelstiltskin, just wait here, alright?" Heather quickly headed upstairs and went to Rumpelstiltskin's room and knocked on the door, following his instructions from last night. However, when she knocked and he didn't answer, she slightly growled in frustration. To his credit, he never said that he would be in his room, so how the hell was she going to find him in a timely manner in this enormous place? Following her instincts, she soon found him in the library. She knocked on the closed door, peeking through the other door that was left slightly open.

Rumpelstiltskin stood before a small table that had been conjured up in the middle of the room. He was already dressed and bathed for the morning, as if he had been up for hours, and oddly enough smelt of the salty sea air; just a bit. The surface of the table was completely covered in vials, jars of ingredients, copper and glass tubes and a small book in the corner opened up to a specific page. He was in the process of dipping the rose he had gathered the previous night into a golden, bubbling liquid. He paused for a moment, hearing a knock at the door, but then proceeded to dip the flower into the hot contents.

"Yes, yes what is it?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, keeping his eyes on the golden liquid, sounding somewhat annoyed at the break in silence that he had grown so used to over the years. He reached over to pick up a bloodied rose thorn and began to squeeze it over the golden liquid. By the magic in his hand, the dried blood from the rose thorn turned liquid once more and he managed two drops of blood in the vial before the thorn shriveled up into nothing. Heather answered Rumpelstiltskin after clearing her throat once,

"Your visitor that you mentioned last night, she's here. She's in the lobby,"

Rumpelstiltskin didn't even so much as budge to acknowledge Heather's words, his interest intent on the brewing concoction in front of him. Silent moments ticked by before he waved his hand over the darkening, bubbling golden liquid and from the small vial the rose began to emerge, coated completely in gold. He held it in the air with magic for a bit, letting the excess gold drip off of the flower before he began to twist his wrist and fingers, bending the rose to take the shape and form of a simple, golden hair pin for a woman.

Heather watched in quiet awe. It was one thing to light something as simple as a candle, but there was something slightly romantic about watching a mastered hand demonstrate what magic was capable of. This particular phenomenon looked as though it came about by the laws of Chemistry, but she was sure if she were to say anything about it, he would just say that it was by magic. Rumpelstiltskin then reached out to grab the golden rose and then stuffed it into his black leather vest pocket on the inside before turning to Heather. Heather snapped out of her thoughts when he pocketed the hairpin and turned towards her.

"She's late." He grumbled, pushing past Heather rather abruptly as if it were Heather's fault, and descended down the stairs to greet his guest. Heather bit her tongue from saying anything about his rude behavior and instead followed quickly after him.

Mushu, against her better judgment, had waited down in the lobby for Rumpelstiltskin, and when the Imp had begun to descend down the stairs, her cold eyes narrowed even more, abandoning her half-interested investigation of one of the candelabras which had been recently cleaned of its dust and cobwebs.

"Careful dearie, bad things tend to happen when we touch what isn't ours…" Rumpelstiltskin chided with a giggle as he crossed over to Mushu, seeming to not even notice the cold glares he was receiving from the small woman.

"And bad things tend to happen when I'm _lied_ to!" Mushu responded hotly, making Rumpelstiltskin stop in his tracks about ten feet away from her.

"Lied to? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean-" Rumpelstiltskin replied innocently.

"_THE GIRL_!" Mushu yelled out, this time moving her own feet to cross the distance between herself and The Dark One. "She's cursed…a beast! You never said _ANYTHING_ about protecting a wild animal! I nearly died last night keeping the village from skinning her alive!" She continued to holler out, her face just inches from Rumpelstiltskin's now as she yelled at him. Rumpelstiltskin took a theatrical step backwards and waved his hand in front of his nose.

"And I suppose you couldn't have brushed your teeth before you came here?" He teased with a crooked smile. Mushu looked less than amused but he could hear the ill-attempted silenced giggle coming from Heather Jekyll as she quietly excused herself to the Dining Hall to serve up their breakfast. Mushu jabbed her finger into Rumpelstiltskin's chest and narrowed her dark brown eyes once more; she could care less about The Dark One's new caretaker.

"Listen here _IMP_…if I'm going to go on playing 'guardian' for this girl of yours, I want my pay tripled." Mushu demanded hotly. Again, Rumpelstiltskin took a step backwards and adjusted his black leather vest, brushing his chest where Mushu had jabbed her finger at him. He rolled his neck a bit, loosening up the muscles before turning to walk in the direction of the main hall, following after Heather.

"What-where are you going? _RUMPELSTILTSKIN_!" Mushu cried out. Rumpelstiltskin turned to face her, his hands outward and shrugged innocently.

"I'm hungry!" He said matter-of-factly, his face confused as to why that wasn't obvious, and then turned to walk under the threshold of the grand room. A muscle in Mushu's jaw twitched as she had no choice but to follow him.

Heather brought out three dishes of the breakfast she made to the table, the third dish for the visitor. She had only eaten with Rumpelstiltskin the once, but didn't think he would mind if she ate with them again; and if he did then she knew he would say something about it. She had set them at the table and she sat down silently. Rumpelstiltskin had already taken his usual seat at the head of the table, seemingly in a good mood despite his visitor wanting his head on a silver platter. He hummed quietly to himself, watching Mushu approaching him out of the corner of his eye with an amused smirk and reached for an apple that had been brought to him on one of the plates. He leaned back in his chair and took a bite while Mushu rested the palms of her hands on the table at his side, still glaring at him and waiting for him to speak. Moments went by, and when he said nothing and instead chewed on the apple, Mushu cried out in annoyance,

"What the _hell_ is your problem?" She demanded. Her arm, as quick as a viper, shot out and grabbed the apple from Rumpelstiltskin's grasp and in her anger, chucked the fruit halfway across the room where it hit the wooden floor and rolled louder than an apple should have sounded when rolling, cutting through the still silence that followed. Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes softly and brought his hands together, seeming to be in deep thought about something before he casually extended his hand and Mushu's tiny body went flying across the room by magic, landing harshly next to the apple.

"Me? Oh, I don't have a problem. Not a care in the world!" Rumpelstiltskin sing-songed as he stood up from his chair and walked to where he had sent Mushu flying. "You, however, now have a problem dearie…and that problem is, how are you planning on getting out of here _alive_?" Rumpelstiltskin reached the small woman and pressed the bottom of his boot onto her head, ever so slightly applying more and more pressure until the brave warrior started to grimace in pain. Mushu however, through her gritted teeth, managed a reply.

"We...have...a..._deal_!"

Heather was starting to feel sick, watching The Dark One in his element as he took violent control over the situation. She stood up, knowing that she couldn't just stand by and watch as Rumpelstiltskin tried to kill that woman. That act would be just as evil as anything that Evelyn Hyde would do. She spoke up, trying to reason with him,

"Rumpelstiltskin, stop! If you kill her, then she can't go through with her part of whatever deal you two made with each other,"

Rumpelstiltskin heard Heather's voice, though it was far, far away and barely audible. Still though, the nature of a woman's pleading voice caught his attention and brought him to look at his apprentice, however, it wasn't Heather Jekyll that was standing there trying to reason him, but Belle.

XXX

_Four months ago..._

_Rumpelstiltskin barged himself into the dungeon where he had been keeping his newest servant and found the woman sobbing uncontrollably on the stone floor, padded by only a simple, thin blanket._

_"When you so **eagerly** agreed to come and work for me, I assumed that you wouldn't miss your family **quite** so much."_

_Belle quickly pulled herself up and off of the floor to face her master._

_"I made my sacrifice for them; of course I miss them you beast!"_

_"Yes, yes, of course…but the crying…must…stop! Night after night! It's making it very difficult for me to spin! You know…I-I do my best thinking then!"_

_Belle tried to wipe away the still falling tears in an effort to stop her crying, fearful of what The Dark One might do to her if she didn't. Rumpelstiltskin looked upon her face and sighed. He held out his hand and a puff of dark purple smoke encircled around it and suddenly, a rather lavish white pillow appeared in his hand._

_"Here…perhaps this will help?" He asked genuinely, offering it to her._

_"For me?" Belle asked, questioning his motives._

_"Not quite so beastly now am I?" He snapped and threw the pillow at her harshly which Belle managed to catch. She turned to set the extravagant pillow on her poor excuse for a bed and then turned back to Rumpelstiltskin._

_"Thank you. Maybe now, I can actually get some sleep…" She said sincerely and wiping away the last of her slowly drying tears._

_"No no no no, it's not to help you sleep dearie, it's to help muffle the cries so I can get back to work!" Rumpelstiltskin jabbed at her, not at all wanting her to mistake his intentions. Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass came from upstairs and Belle and Rumpelstiltskin both looked towards the staircase that would lead them upstairs. If they were both down here…then who was up there? Rumpelstiltskin hurriedly bounded up the stairs with Belle quickly following behind him._

_Being the first one up the stairs and into the Dining Hall, Rumpelstiltskin found a hooded man reaching for one of the magical wands Rumpelstiltskin had out on display._

_"Are you sure you want to do this dearie?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, making the hooded man stop what he was doing and turn to look at him. The hooded man was also holding fast onto a bow of superior craftsmanship with a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. Belle eventually made it to Rumpelstiltskin's side as the man lowered his hood to reveal his stubble-covered face and cheeky grin. He proceeded to take the wand from the holder and slowly approached the Imp and girl._

_"Pretty sure…" The man replied, keeping his grin all the while._

_"If you don't know how to use that wand…it can do nasty things to you." Rumpelstiltskin said, almost sounding like he was trying to warn the thief. The thief stopped walking and looked upon the wand in his hand before sliding it back into the quiver on his back and grabbed an arrow in its place._

_"Well then, I'll stick to what I know works…" He said and nocked the arrow to the bow, pointing it directly at Rumpelstiltskin. "You know what this arrow can do to you…" The thief warned. Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand in a non-caring manner._

_"It has to hit me first." And with a blink of an eye, Rumpelstiltskin was gone. Both Belle and the thief looked about the room in sheer amazement, looking for the Imp who had materialized a few moments later on the opposite corner of the room. The thief re-aimed his bow and laughed lightly._

_"Shouldn't be a problem…" He said taking a few steps towards Rumpelstiltskin's new location. "An arrow fired from this bow always finds its target." He paused to let out a happy sigh. "Ah, don't you just **love** magic?" The thief smiled and let lose the arrow._

_Rumpelstiltskin only smiled and vanished once more before the arrow could find his chest and appeared not two feet away from the thief himself. The arrow, however, in its flight, curved its direction and found its way to Rumpelstiltskin's chest where his heart was, forcing the Imp to stagger backwards a few steps. Belle let out a soft gasp and picked up the ends of her dress, attempting to run to him._

_"I know I do." The thief responded to his own question and headed towards the doors to leave. However, the thief only got a few feet in before Rumpelstiltskin let out a laugh._

_"As. Do. I!" Rumpelstiltskin pulled the arrow from his chest, the head of the arrow completely clean with not a drop of blood to be found, nor was there any entry wound on his chest where the arrow had pierced him. The arrow vanished in his hand in a puff of purple smoke and the Imp laughed once more reading the utterly shocked face of the thief in front of him. "But don't you know? All magic comes with a price! And in your case…that's me!" Rumpelstiltskin's grin split open to reveal his blackening teeth, cackling with thoughts of what he was going to do with his new prisoner._

_Hours later, the sound of tormented screaming from the dungeons could be heard upstairs in the Great Hall where Belle was busy sweeping up the glass from where the thief had broken into the castle. Rumpelstiltskin hadn't even heard her sigh as he emerged from the dungeons, taking off the freshly blood-stained leather gloves he wore and tossed them onto the wooden table in the room._

_"I'm gonna need another apron." He said to Belle, untying a blood-stained blacksmith's apron he wore around his middle._

_Belle coughed once to find her voice._

_"Uh, They're uh…they're on the line…drying…it'll be some time…"_

_"Ah fine, fine, get to cleaning this one as well…" Rumpelstiltskin said tossing the apron onto the table next to the rubber gloves. "I'll be back later." He said heading towards the doors to the exit._

_"All this…because he tried to steal a magic wand?" Belle demanded, unable to hold her tongue any longer._

_"No, because he tried to steal from **ME**! The Dark One! You try that you get skinned alive! Everyone knows that!"_

_"Actually…no, they don't…" Belle corrected him, making Rumpelstiltskin take a moment to think that over._

_"Well they will once they discover the body." He corrected himself with an unsettling grin and proceeded out the doors in which he locked up magically in case Belle tried to leave in his absence._

_It wasn't until later that evening that Rumpelstiltskin returned to the castle. As instructed, Belle had cleaned his aprons and he adorned one of the clean ones while procuring a rather large hunting knife and used a whet-stone to sharpen the edge. He could feel Belle's eyes on his back as he did, pretending to read from a book in her lap, and so he decided to break the silence._

_"I'll try not to be too loud. Can't promise the same courtesy…from our prisoner…"_

_Rumpelstiltskin smirked and took the sharpened knife down into the dungeon. A cry of surprise echoed up from the dungeons, startling Belle, though it wasn't the cry that startled her, but the fact that Rumpelstiltskin charged back up the stairs into the room to approach Belle in sheer anger._

_"Where is he?" Rumpelstiltskin demanded approaching the supposedly reading girl._

_"Gone. I let him go." Belle said calmly._

_"WHAT? He was a thief!"_

_"Which doesn't give you the right to kill him." Belle retorted, bringing her eyes up from her book to look at Rumpelstiltskin._

_"It gives me every right!" Rumpelstiltskin hollered. Belle's face remained unchanged, firm. "Ah let me guess! You think he's a hero…stealing from me for some noble cause. YOU READ TOO MANY BOOKS DEARIE!" Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand, making the book in Belle's lap disappear in a puff of purple smoke. "There…maybe that will stop filling your head with poisonous thoughts!"_

_"I didn't free him because of what I read in my books. I saw good in him. That man only wanted to escape with his life!" Belle objected._

_"Oh is that what you thought? Our thief escaped with MORE than his life!" Rumpelstiltskin gestured towards the pedestal that held the wand, only the display was empty; the wand had been stolen once more. "You were tricked, you foolish, GULLIBLE GIRL!"_

_"There-there must be an explanation! We, we don't know why he needed that wand." Belle stammered. She had no idea that the thief had made off with the wand after she had let him go._

_"He took the wand because he WANTED MAGIC! People who steal magic never have good intentions!" Rumpelstiltskin made his way over to the table and threw the knife he had been holding down harshly._

_"No! NO! You can't tell what's in a person's heart until you TRULY know them!" Belle said, quickly following after him._

_"Oh we'll see what's in his heart alright, when I shoot an ARROW straight through it." Rumpelstiltskin said, pretending to shoot a bow and arrow. "And because I am a SHOWMAN-" Rumpelstiltskin outstretched his arm, a bow materializing in his hand soon after. "- it'll be with HIS BOW. And because this is YOUR FAULT, you get to come with me and watch and KNOW as the blood dr-r-r-rips from his carcass. It'll be you and your RAGS to WIPE IT UP!"_

_XXX_

_Rumpelstiltskin had Belle sit in his carriage opposite of him, however his eyes were not on her but on the scenery around them as his tracking skills were being put to the test. After many silent minutes, Rumpelstiltskin spoke._

_"We're losing track of him. This forest is too **t****hick**!" He said eerily calmly._

_"Maybe we should return home?" Belle suggested with a gentle shrug, hoping that they had indeed lost track of the thief._

_"What? And let the thief escape? What would people think if I spared the life of someone who stole from me?"_

_"That there's actually a **man** hiding behind the beast?" Belle countered with a slight jab._

_"There isn't." Rumpelstiltskin replied immediately._

_"Then why didn't you kill me when I had freed the prisoner?"_

_"Well I would have…but uh, good help these days is really hard to find."_

_"I think that you are **not** as dark as you want people to believe. I think that deep down, there's love in your heart. And for something **more** than power."_

_Rumpelstiltskin paused and let his eyes lower a bit._

_"Your right…there **is** something I love…" He said softly and leaned in towards Belle, causing her to lean in closer to him as he was about to reveal a deep secret about himself. "MY THINGS!" Rumpelstiltskin shouted out, quickly catching Belle off guard, but honestly, she shouldn't have expected anything more from him. Rumpelstiltskin held up a hand, somehow signaling the coachman-less carriage to stop._

_"You really are as dark as people say." Belle replied bitterly._

_"Darker dearie, MUCH darker…"_

_The carriage came to a stop and Rumpelstiltskin stepped out, approaching the small caravan that had blocked their path onwards. A man atop of a horse slipped down from his mount and walked over to Rumpelstiltskin, obviously drunk off of his rocker which made Rumpelstiltskin wrinkle up his nose at the foul smell._

_"What are you doing in my woods?" The drunk man demanded._

_"Pardon the intrusion Sheriff, uh, I'm lookin for a thief!" Rumpelstiltskin said, putting on the fake persona of a common villager. "He attacked me with this bow-" Rumpelstiltskin gestured towards the weapon in his hand. "-I-I traced him as far as these woods and then he vanished!"_

_The Sheriff took a good look at the bow, taking it in his own hand for a moment and nodded_

_._  
><em>"Yes I know exactly who you're after. But I also know who you are...Rumpelstiltskin..."<em>

_"My reputation precedes me, excellent!" The Imp said sounding rather pleased and dropping the facade._

_"Yes as does your penchant for making deals. I'll tell you where you can find your thief...if you give me something in return." The Sheriff smirked, pulling a flask from his hip and took a long swig of the alcohol inside. Rumpelstiltskin wiggled his fingers._

_"What do you want?" He asked, unable to resist the idea of making a deal._

_"A night with your wench!" The Sheriff said pointing over Rumpelstiltskin's shoulder at Belle, who had followed him out of the carriage to see what the commotion was about. Rumpelstiltskin paused, looked over to Belle who remained straight-faced, and then back to the Sheriff._

_"Ah...she's not for sale..." Rumpelstiltskin said firmly. The Sheriff laughed._

_"You can't part with her for say...an hour?" He tried. Rumpelstiltskin only stared at the Sheriff. "Twenty minutes?" The Sheriff tried again. Rumpelstiltskin put his hand to his head._

_"Let me think..." He started, and then waved his hand. A trail of black smoke coming from the Sheriff's mouth to Rumpelstiltskin's outstretched hand became visible, and as soon as the black smoke cleared something pink and wet appeared in his hand. The Sheriff tried to scream, however only gurgling, gagging noises came from his throat as his tongue had been taken from him directly. His struggle to make even the simplest of sounds amused Rumpelstiltskin, causing him to giggle like a child. "I propose a new deal...I give you this back, and in return, you tell me EVERYTHING you know about the man I am hunting."_

_The Sheriff tried to gurgle in response, his wide eyes of terror giving away that he hardly understood what was going on._

_"You ought to be more careful with your possessions!" Rumpelstiltskin teased. "Do you agree to my terms?" The Sheriff gurgled again. "What was that?" The Imp teased once more, causing the Sheriff to practically start crying with the loss of his voice. "Oh I'll take that as a yes then." The black smoke showed up once more, and the tongue returned from Rumpelstiltskin's hand back into the Sheriff's mouth. "Start. Talking."_

_"The thief you're after…I've been chasing him for years! He RUINED me! He stole the woman I love! He-he made me the laughing stock of all of Nottingham!" The sheriff managed to blubber out in his drunken stupor. Rumpelstiltskin remained unmoved by the man's sob story._

_"How can I find him?" He asked quickly._

_"The last I heard, he was hiding in the outs of Sherwood Forest…"_

_"And his name?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, braving to get closer to the drunk Sheriff._

_"Robin Hood. He goes by Robin Hood." The Sheriff spat out as disgust plagued his mouth at the very name._

_XXX_

_It didn't take too long to find Robin Hood by the Sheriff's instruction. Sure enough, he was spotted just on the outskirts of Sherwood forest atop of a horse. A separate wagon was being pulled towards Robin with a woman lying in the back looking to be very ill. Robin Hood jumped from his horse, pulled out the stolen wand and approached the woman in the back of the wagon._

_"That woman…" Belle said once the two of them had exited their carriage and walked to the cliffs edge where they were able to oversee everything._

_"That must be the one he stole from the Sheriff." Rumpelstiltskin said setting down the quiver of arrows next to a tree trunk and pulled one out. After all, all he would need was one. Belle watched as Robin Hood approached the woman who went into a sudden coughing fit._

_"She's sick!" Belle proclaimed in worry. "She's going to die!"_

_Rumpelstiltskin nodded simply._

_"And so is he." He said raising the bow and notching the arrow._

_"STOP!" Belle shouted and put her hand on his arm, forcing him to lower the bow. Rumpelstiltskin sighed and felt his eyes roll in annoyance. Belle then watched as Robin Hood hovered the magic wand over the woman. There was a faint sound of wind chimes coming from it as he moved the wand back and forth and her coughing eased to a stop and color returned to her face._

_"I'm right about him!" Belle said to Rumpelstiltskin happily. "I'm right about why he stole the wand. He did it so he could heal the woman he loves."_

_"He's still a thief." Rumpelstiltskin said simply, unmoved by the situation._

_"And she would have died if he hadn't stolen your wand!"_

_"And now HE gets to die! And she can tell ALL of Sherwood Forest what happens when you cross Rumpelstiltskin!" Leaving the conversation to no more objections, Rumpelstiltskin_  
><em>waved his hand and suddenly Belle found her entire bottom half buried in the dirt where her feet had been, unable to move no matter how much she squirmed. "THAT should give you a good view!" Rumpelstiltskin jested and once again pulled the bow string and pointed the arrow at his target.<em>

_"You don't have to do this! There's good in you! I was right about the thief and I am right about you!"_

_Rumpelstiltskin ignored her pleas and steadied his aim, however, the bow began to falter as the now healed woman got up from the wagon to hug Robin Hood, her belly swollen with that of a child._

_"L-l-look! She's pregnant!" Belle said, also observing this new bit of information, she would use whatever she could to spare the thief's life. "You are NOT the kind of man to leave a child fatherless…" Rumpelstiltskin's face fell as he watched Robin Hood kiss his pregnant lover, watching the happiness overflow from them like a geyser. However, Rumpelstiltskin brought the bow back up and let the arrow fire._

_"NO!" Belle screamed._

_The arrow sailed through the air, missing Robin Hood's ear by a few inches and embedding its head into the wagon where the woman had once been. Startled, Robin Hood hurried the woman away from the wagon and helped her onto the horse where he got on after her and kicked the horse into a run._

_"What happened?" Belle squeaked, unbelieving of what she had just witnessed._

_"I missed." Rumpelstiltskin said with a sneer. He waved his hand once again and Belle found her feet on solid ground once again instead of three feet under. "Get back to the carriage. I'm bored of this forest."_

_"You're…you're not going after him?" Belle questioned, unable to let her feet move just yet._

_"He's not worth the effort."_

_"You spared his life!" Belle observed out loud, braving to take a few steps towards him._

_"What? I did nothing of the sort."_

_"That bow has magic in it." Belle said now standing directly by Rumpelstiltskin's side. "It never misses its target."_

_"Well perhaps the magic just simply wore-" He turned to face Belle, surprised to see her standing so close to him and looking on at him with knowing, kind eyes. "-off…" Belle tried to hide a small smile and took the chance to wrap her arms around Rumpelstiltskin's neck in a gentle hug. Rumpelstiltskin, too shocked at the physical contact, did not hug her back. Belle eventually eased off of him though and gave him a smile as if to say 'thank you' and headed back to the carriage as she had been instructed to do so earlier. When she didn't hear him coming, she stopped to turn to look at him._

_"Aren't you coming?" She asked politely. Finally being able to feel his feet once again, Rumpelstiltskin stooped down to pick up the quiver of arrows and slung it over his shoulder. A slight smirk crossed his face as he then followed Belle back to the carriage to return home._

XXX

Belle's figure slowly melted away leaving Heather Jekyll in her place, though the plea in her eyes matched his memory of Belle's exactly. Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes hard, willing for the memories to stop; to go away. He removed his boot from Mushu's head and took a couple steps backwards from her, his movements seeming somewhat shaky and unsure, however it didn't last long.

"As it turns out, I still need you alive." Rumpelstiltskin said allowing Mushu to pull herself to her feet. Rumpelstiltskin pulled out the golden rose hair pin he had created earlier and handed it out for Mushu to take. "Here, get Belle to wear this, and you won't have to worry about that monster taking her over again." He said, his voice actually sounding promising for once. Heather watched Rumpelstiltskin give the pin to the woman, and Heather sighed silently in relief.

Mushu took the hair pin skeptically and looked it over. It looked to be completely ordinary, however the pressured headache reminded Mushu immediately that she wasn't dealing with anyone that settled for 'ordinary.'

"And my gold?" Mushu dared to ask, pocketing the hair pin in a pouch she had tied to her waist.

"The same as before, however I do wish to alter our deal. Instead of you coming here for your gold, I will have it sent to your house. Consider that to be in your favor."

Mushu raised a questioning eyebrow. "Then, how am I to give you reports on the girl?" She asked.

"You won't. I want nothing to do with her anymore. The less I know...the better..." Rumpelstiltskin's head hung slightly, as if a heavy, emotional weight was pulling it down as it was evident in the way he spoke. "Now go, before I change my mind." Mushu bowed respectfully towards Rumpelstiltskin and hurried out of the Great Hall and into the main Foyer where she let herself out, relieved that she would never have to step foot in this castle again.

Heather could only make an educated guess as to what her mentor was thinking. She felt pity for the Imp, but she didn't say anything as he dismissed Mushu. As soon as she was gone, Heather sat down at the table again. She was glad that she had managed to do something good and save a life. It was something she knew she would never be able to do while Hyde was in control. But even so, that was much in comparison to the number of lives Hyde destroyed.

She snapped out of those thoughts, and looked to Rumpelstiltskin in concern. As much as she would like to ask, and possibly console the Imp, she knew he wouldn't tell her anything anyways.

XXX

Mushu had only made it down the path from The Dark Castle a little short of a mile before she was forced to the side of the road for a large black carriage to pass her by. It was drawn by four superior looking horses, all of which that made Mushu's horse she was forced to leave back in the village because of exhaustion look like a tiny pony. It wasn't just the horses that caught Mushu's eye, however, since there were six men dressed in black armor walking with the carriage; two on their own horses in the front, two on either side of the carriage on foot, and two bringing up the rear on foot. The only kind of carriage that Mushu figured to be so heavily guarded had to be coming from some sort of Royalty; it really was a shame she didn't know too much about the Royal families here.

The carriage passed Mushu by, however came to a slow stop fifteen or so paces behind her, causing the Chinese woman to stop and take a look with interest. The carriage door popped open and a truly beautiful, pale woman stuck her face out and looked back at the Chinese woman on the trail.

"Did my carriage splash you?" The woman asked kindly, glancing down at the small mud puddles that spread over the dirt trail. Mushu was quick to shake her head no. The woman stepped out of the carriage a bit more waved off the coachman as her feet touched the top of the path. "I'm tired of riding, let me stretch my legs and walk with you for a spell." The woman strode over to Mushu with such elegance, it confirmed her theory about this coach coming from royalty. Only women with high status could walk so effortlessly on rugged terrain in heels.

"It's not very common I come across people on this trail. Tell me, are you coming from The Dark Castle?" The woman asked Mushu, gesturing with her black-laced gloved hand for the two of them to walk, away from the castle where the carriage was initially headed.

"The...Dark Castle?" Mushu asked with a quirked eyebrow, not only to the woman's question, but to the fact that she insisted that they walked in the opposite direction that she had been initially heading in. "I...I wasn't aware it had a name. If you mean the castle belonging to Rumpelstiltskin, then yes."

The woman in black put her hand over her heart, and her ruby red lips parted in slight surprise.

"Oh my dear, how are you still breathing?" She asked in surprise. "The Dark One is truly a cruel man, very few people venture to his castle and return in once piece."

"We have a deal." Mushu said with a casual shrug and pulled out the golden rose hair pin Rumpelstiltskin had given her earlier. "There's this girl he wanted me to look after, but she was cursed, so he gave me this to give to her." She offered the golden rose hair pin to the stranger to look at. The woman took the item delicately in her hands and looked it over closely, and Mushu could have sworn that she saw the corner of her ruby red lips twitch in an attempt to cover up a smile.

"A girl you say?" She asked turning the golden rose in her hands. "Her name wouldn't happen to be Belle...would it?"

Mushu hesitated before answering. This stranger seemed to know an awful lot about Rumpelstiltskin which more than likely spelt danger for herself. However strange, though, this woman seemed to have genuine intentions. Perhaps she was the 'good' that would rid of the 'evil' that she had seen take place in history time and time again.

"Yes, she's back in her own village now being watched over by...friends..." Mushu extended her hand to take back the golden hair pin from the woman, however the stranger jerked her hand back, not quite wanting to part with the enchanted object just yet. "Please, I must be going. If she turns back into that monster again people could die." Mushu halfly pleaded with the woman. This stranger may have been royalty, but Mushu was a trained killer and highly doubted that this woman would be able to put up a reasonable fight against her if the need arose.

The stranger stopped walking and turned to face Mushu, blocking her path onwards that would eventually lead back to the village she had spoken of. Mushu stopped and met the woman's eyes, her face remaining firm as she once again held out her hand for the hair pin.

"No..." The woman in black said simply, letting her word trail off. Before Mushu's face even had a chance to react to the confusion of her reply, the woman's hand shot forward and embedded into her chest, clutching quickly onto Mushu's still beating heart. Mushu's body was on fire from the chest up; and completely numb from the abdomen down. The woman pulled her hand back out of the Chinese girl's chest and Mushu found her eyes looking at her very own heart clutched in the grasp of the stranger's hand.

"No..." The woman said again, now observing the golden hair pin she held tightly in her opposite hand as if it were a great treasure. "Actually, you've been quite helpful, but _I_ will be making the delivery." Without even looking at the heart, the woman began to tighten her grip on the organ, forcing Mushu to fall to her knees from the lack of strength that suddenly ran through her body.

"W-what are you doing?" Mushu grimaced, trying to look up at the woman in black that now seemed to tower over her.

"It's nothing personal dear. I'm just tying up some lose ends." The woman in black replied, taking her attention off of the hair pin and down to the Chinese girl by her feet. Her lips curled into a vicious smile as she squeezed the heart harder and harder in her hand, watching the life drain from the small girl's body and eyes until the heart crumpled down into nothing but a handful of powder.

The woman let the grains of powder trickle from her hand as she watched the lifeless corpse of Mushu collapse down onto the dirt path until the last of what used to be a heart was carried away by a small gust of wind.

"I do hate the common riff-raff..." Regina sneered to herself, immediately dropping the 'nice girl' act and used her now free hand to gather up the front of her dress and stepped over the body of Mushu to walk the short distance back to her carriage.

"Are we still heading to The Dark Castle my Queen?" The coachman asked upon her arrival. Regina stepped back into the carriage and shut the small door.

"Plans have changed, we're going to pay a visit to a small nearby village instead..." Regina looked back to the golden hair pin in her hand and her white smile spread even wider.

**Author's Note:**

**I know, I'm completely horrid for ending this chapter here but it's been a while since I've ended a chapter on something so…startling. Also, again with the re-used flashbacks. I'm sorry, I can't help myself, these flashbacks are just too too too too good to re-do, I hope you can forgive me :)**


	11. Chapter 11: Monster to Monster

**Author's Note: **

**Hey guess what? No flashbacks and or copies in this chapter! Strictly original content! Woo! Also, a new (slightly obscure) character makes an appearance in this chapter. Ten points if you know who he is. Happy reading!**

The light of day peeked in shyly through the spaces between the wood panels of the barn, each beam seemed to trying to blind the only awake being at any given chance. The personification of night was finished, quite a thick pile of wood shavings and chips carpeting the area around his feet, but he paid them no mind, only thinking that the smell of freshly carved pine smelt a whole lot better than the musty smell the old hay had been giving off earlier.

Taking a few steps back from the barn doors, Night stared up and down at his handy work. One door was a stylized carving of his new werewolf companion, 'Red', in her wolf form. On the other door was the stylized carving of the 'Beast'. In the spaces of the doors that weren't occupied by these two big carvings, there were instead many small horses carved. It was rather scary, how boredom could drive a man to do such a thing through the night...but this certainly was the tamest of things.

The light brown eyes of the she-wolf slowly fluttered open in a blurry daze. With a quiet groan of pain, Red managed to sit up on her own, reaching her hand back to pull some bits of straw that had decided to make a nest in her long black hair while she had slept. She didn't even remember falling asleep actually, the last thing she remembered was arguing with...'The Wraith' and then something about a woman needing to find a way to end the curse of the other female and then...nothing. She hissed inwardly as she moved to stand up, the combination of pain in her ribs and leg nearly knocking her out cold again. However, it was enough to force her to sit back down in the pile of hay with a less-than-pleased grunt.

Brushing off some shavings from a carved horse, Night plopped himself back into the hay when his wolfish companion started trying to get up, making many a sound before dropping back down.

"Why, exactly, are you trying to get up? Your injuries won't allow it."

Red shot Night a look that immediately told him to keep his mouth shut as she still tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes and pluck off a few more strands of straw from her hair and red cloak.

"Why, exactly, are you still here? Don't you have animal corpses to defile or something?" She sneered, immediately bringing their conversation from last night back to the surface.

At the mention of 'defiling corpses'...whatever the girl meant by that...Night gave her a funny look, before glancing over at the hay bale nearby. Behind it, a sacked stash of older rabbits the shadow had caught earlier in the night, for when one of the humans would need to eat or something. The woman never returned with anything but his requested water, and the shade himself did not need to eat. Somehow, Red's near accurate guess for the defiling part, that comment just made the situation that much more awkward.

Red ran her fingers through her hair and sighed while looking down.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not much of a morning person." When she looked back up, the first thing she noticed was the door of the barn, however it seemed to have transformed if by magic during the time she slept. The detail was incredible and left her mouth hanging open if but for a moment before looking back to him, noticing the wood shavings he was covered in. "Did you-did you do that?"

From under his cloak, Night coughed at Red noticing his wood carvings. "I was bored."

A deep breath escaped the brown haired woman that lay nude on the ground in the barn. Voices were distant in her ears but they slowly grew louder. Shaking her head slightly she grunted. Would her head ever stop throbbing? Slowly she opened her eyes. At first her vision was blurred, scents began to enter her sensitive nose as she blinked a few times in hopes of clearing her sight. Although unfamiliar to Belle herself the scents did register in her mind. She had recently encountered these smells. Her vision eventually adjusted, her surroundings unfamiliar. Where was she? Pushing herself up slightly she looked around.

The steady thump of a heartbeat and a foreign breathing pattern caught her attention. She swiftly looked over her right shoulder. Piercing blue eyes caught a figure. She looked in fear and worry. It was another woman, a large deep red cloak covering her.

"Wh—Where am I?" Belle asked, before noticing a second figure moving to stand closer to the doors. A tall, shadowed man.

Red pulled her attention from the impressive art display on the barn doors to the woman she had nearly died to save from an angry mob just a few hours ago, hearing her soft voice as she woke. Relief washed over Red immediately when she realized that the girl really would be okay and offered the woman a soft, white smile. She attempted to ignore the feeling of her skin pulling at the three red gashes across her left eye and bridge of her nose and shifted her body uncomfortably to pull off her red cloak, immediately realizing that the woman didn't have a stitch of clothing on her.

"It's okay, you're safe here." Red said trying to sound sweet, although a pained grunt came out as she pulled her cloak off. With a great amount of effort on her part, Red tossed the red cloak over to the naked woman (though mostly covered by the hay) and then settled her tired, beaten body back into her own small pile of hay. "Here, put that on. We'll see about getting you some clothes from the village."

Belle frowned slightly, the woman was hurt, badly so. Who were these people? Why was she with them? Watching the cloak fly through the air she quickly shifted her gaze to the other two before paying attention to the next set of words that were spoken. Her eyes grew wide as her cheeks burned a bright red, her jaw tightly clenched as she looked down upon her naked body. She quickly scrambled to grab the cloak, swiftly covering herself.

She brought her knees up to her chest, the soft, cloak practically covering her whole body. Too embarrassed to look at the other two, Belle's gaze focused on some random pieces of hay that were strewn across the barn floor. She blinked a few times and swallowed hard, a dry, metallic taste lingering in her mouth. She went to speak but sighed instead unable to find her words.

Gathering herself for a moment she slowly raised her gaze. Turning her head to the right she studied the tall, intimidating man before looking over at the injured woman.

"Wh—Uh…Why am I here?" She asked her eyes looking back at the floor before stealing a couple quick glances at the two.

Night crossed his arms, hearing the reassurances, then the questions. The shade opened his mouth to give his answer, but with the memory of what the woman did as a beast...he shook his head and turned away. The cloak he wore dispersed into black mist, before reforming into his usual gnarly armor. Sure, Night couldn't blame the woman for what happened the other day, but he didn't feel like he could just reassure her and leave it at that.

"You almost killed the woman over there whil-"

Red hissed inwardly, her head jerking to Night's position with her eyes narrowed at him. Didn't he listen to _anything_ she told him last night? About how delicate a situation like this could be? She gave Night a quick look, indicating for him to be quiet while she dealt with this in her own way before turning to look back to the woman now wearing her cloak.

"There was an accident in the village." Red started. For all Red knew, this woman had no idea she had been cursed; it was a very real thing to not remember the events that had taken place last night, and the last thing Red wanted to do was bring it to her attention in a hostile manner like the Wraith was about to do. Slowly, Red pushed herself upwards and staggered on her legs for a moment before slowly walking over to the woman and then took a seat next to her in the hay, holding her ribs on her right side to keep the broken ones from poking through her skin. "What's the last thing you can remember?" She asked softly, letting her eyes meet the other woman's.

Belle couldn't help but look over at the woman. _An accident?_ Belle was being forced to go into the village, by that small woman Lily. Her memories were beginning to betray her, flashes of images passed behind her eyes as she eventually watched the dark haired woman stagger towards her. It didn't take long for Belle to realize how severely injured she was.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Night glared over at Red through the visor of his helm, before turning away, "Tell her the truth, nothing good can come from blissful ignorance, not for her. She needs to know, or she might end up harming more people in her cluelessness!" Saying all this in a harsh tone...he eventually just fell silent.

"IT'S NOT HER FAULT!" Red couldn't hold it in any longer. His words, though directed at the other woman's situation, couldn't have stung more; like pouring salt into an open wound.

Belle's jaw was tightly clenched as her eyes grew wide as she slowly began to realize what had happened. Looking at the man once again Belle's gaze soon shifted to the woman. Sadness taking over her features as she looked at the three scratches going down her face. Belle went to speak but held her words as she blinked a few times and looked away. The other woman spoke out in anger, the loudness of her voice caused Belle to jump slightly but unable to taker her eyes off of her face. It was as if the scars stood out even more within that moment. She swallowed hard and blinked, her gaze once again returning to the floor.

**"SHE NEEDS TO KNOW SO SHE CAN LEARN TO CONTROL HERSELF...!"** Night paused for a moment to calm himself, surprised at his own outburst. With a more measured voice, in both volume and tone, Night continued, "Unless you know of the remedy, or the source of this curse you can destroy...she needs to know how to control herself, to find out what triggered...'that'..."

"I _do_ know…" Belle's voice seemed rather quiet compared to theirs. "I know where it came from and how it happens…It cannot be controlled and to destroy it means to destroy…me." Belle looked up briefly, meeting the gazes of both for some time before wrapping her arms around her knees and pulling them closer. She raised her head slightly, still looking at the floorboards she opened her mouth to speak but took a moment. "I—" A small pause. "All I can do is apologize…" Her blue eyes met the other woman's light brown ones. "I'm sorry…" Her words were barely above a whisper.

Red turned her head from Night and looked back to the woman next to her, letting her eyes soften out of their narrowed, angry look she held for the 'Wraith' and frowned. She put her hand gently on the woman's shoulder, hoping to convey...somehow...that she understood what she was going through.

Belle looked at the hand on her shoulder then up at the light brown eyes of the woman, she smirked in sadness and quickly looked away with a sigh. Clenching her jaw she shook her head. Looking back up at the woman Belle couldn't help but look at the scratches. The poor woman was permanently marked, a sight that would only hurt Belle every time she would lay eyes upon it.

"There is...no hope?" The shade stood away from them and thought long and hard on what this would mean. If she couldn't be saved, if she couldn't control this..._would she be better off dead?_ Immediately, Night dismissed the idea...dashed it into the dark waters of his mind...only for it to bob back into his surface thoughts. This was no different from purging a corrupt creature, setting it free from torment, preventing disaster. But, right now, this woman was entirely human and could tell them what she thought and felt. And...she lasted up to this point. If she were meant to die, she would have been dead already...right?

Belle shook her head in response to the man's question, whether it was rhetorical or not. Her jaw was tightly clenched, her ears picking up the words of the woman but her gaze not leaving from the edge of the red cloak, her eyes tracing the intricate patterns.

"You don't need to apologize for anything." Red said softly, rubbing her shoulder slightly in a gesture of comfort. "You probably won't believe me, but I mean it when I say that I _know_ what you are going through. All that matters now is that you are safe and we-" Red glanced quickly over at Night. "-I'm here to help you." She waited for a moment for those words to sink in, the same, kind words that she wished she heard from someone during her own problematic time. "I'm Red...and I'm a werewolf."

Shaking his head, Night opened up the door with the beast carved on it and left the barn to lean on the wall of its exterior. Wasn't this no different from what some would do once a horse broke its leg? Comfort it before putting it out of its misery? This was one of those moments that reminded him of why he rarely involved himself with humans.

Looking up at Red in confusion, Belle heard the man leave, her eyes quickly flicking towards the door before returning to…Red.

"A werewolf? You are cursed too then?" She asked, a small, subtle smirk spreading across her lips. "I'm Belle, a…umm…Beast?" Her sentence ended in a question as she was unsure of how to classify her curse.

Red split her frowned lips into a white smile and let out a gentle, airy laugh. It wasn't at all directed towards Belle's expense, but because she knew how it felt to meet someone that was truly like you for the first time, and could imagine the relief Belle must have been feeling at that moment to be the same way she felt when she found others like her.

"Yes." Red nodded her head once and took Belle's small hands in her own and stared deep into Belle's eyes, as if there were some sort of unspoken language of understanding being transferred just by looking at one another. "I was born into the curse, hell I didn't even know I had it until just a month ago actually. My family was...pretty adamant about keeping it a secret from me."

She let Belle's hands go and thumbed at the fabric of her red cloak that Belle was wearing. "I got this when I was twelve years old. I always thought Granny was crazy when she forced me to wear it whenever 'the wolf came to town', especially when I was older and no longer a child. She told me that red repelled the wolf." She shook her head and laughed lightly once more at the memory; it had been quite some time since she had thought of home. "It's enchanted. It kept me from turning into the wolf during Wolfstime; the nights before, during, and after a full moon."

Belle listened. She was intrigued by this woman's, Red's story. It was unfortunate that her family hadn't told her, unfair even. Looking down at the cloak Belle grew worried, she didn't want to ruin it. It was obviously very important to Red.

"But I can control it now." Red said, as if reading Belle's mind. She looked upon Belle thoughtfully for a moment before making a move to stand back up. She had to use her arms to brace herself against a wooden vertical beam to keep from falling, but she eventually managed to stand up tall on her own, supporting most of her weight on her good leg.

"C'mon, let's get to the village and get you some decent clothes." Red offered with a warm smile. Belle's story would come on her own time; she wasn't about to push that.

Watching Red stand up Belle frowned. Slowly she got up as well. If Red could control her curse would Belle be able to control her own? Keeping the cloak tightly around her body Belle looked at Red once again.

"I'm not sure I want to go into the village…" She knew that her village was practically the home of roses, they grew everywhere and everyone cared for their own rose bushes. Her favorite flower was now something she had feared. She clenched her jaw. "It's the roses…" She started her sentence. "They are what cause the change. That village…my village, is known for its roses. All shades and colors, every type of rose imaginable can be found there." Her gaze returned to Red. "It wouldn't be safe. Can I stay here?" Belle asked, not that she needed permission. She would stay regardless of what Red said.

Red simply nodded, taking in the new bit of information and letting it settle over her mind. Belle's curse was triggered by something, just like her own curse was, but at least Red could prepare for her transformation by watching the moon. Belle, on the other hand...it was all up in the air.

"I'll be back then." Red assured her and limped heavily to the barn door and stepped outside, immediately covered in the shadows that 'the Wraith' cast from his person. "I'm headed to the village to get Belle some clothes." She explained flatly to him and looked down at her own apparel. Maybe she would get something for herself as well, something _not_ covered in blood. She looked back at the shadow man and simply nodded, unsure if he would take it upon himself to go with her, stay here, or hell, even leave.

"Thank you...for your help last night. I-I never got a chance to say that." She ran her fingers through her hair in a last attempt to brush out the hay and began to walk at a painfully slow pace to the village.

XXX

It didn't take long for Regina to reach the tiny village that was the home of Belle. In fact, with magic, Regina (even in her carriage) got there in less than half the time it took Mushu to reach The Dark Castle, though the horses did help a bit.

The journey there in itself was less than uneventful, as another man rode with Regina inside the carriage in the same armor that the soldiers outside wore, however his chest plate was decorated a bit more elaborately, showing status. Once Regina had gotten back inside of her carriage, she faced the man opposite of her and smiled, although the man across from her did not return the courtesy.

This didn't bother Regina, however, and removed her black gloves finger by finger, setting the delicate fabric beside her on the seat.

"You look unhappy." She mused, keeping her eye on the man in front of her.

"You didn't have to kill her." The man replied, thumbing at a short dagger he held in his lap. This caused Regina to toss back her head and laugh and only when she was finished, she still couldn't help but to chuckle here and there.

"Oh please, spare me of your heroic conscious, Count Roland." Regina replied, causing The Count to look away from his Queen and outside the carriage window. In his reaction, Regina just smirked and folded her now bare hands in her lap.

"I thought we were going to go see Rumpelstiltskin? Where are we going now?" Roland asked after a few silent moments, still keeping his eyes away from Regina.

"Rumpel is still the main concern here; however that little woman on the road gave me all I needed to ensure that he won't be interfering in my curse. Just be grateful I didn't have to put your life on the line to do it this time." Her demeanor had quickly changed, her voice now cruel and cold sounding, which brought The Count to finally look over at her.

"And what could that poor young woman have possibly given you to ensure that?" The Count required. Regina let up a cruel smile and pulled out the golden rose hair pin.

"This." Regina said simply, and went on before Roland had a chance to question how a hair accessory was going to help. "With this enchanted hair pin, I will gain the trust of the only person that Rumpelstiltskin was stupid enough to care for. And once I have her trust, I am going to crush him with it."

"Won't The Dark One just, I dunno, _KILL YOU_ when he finds out your involvement?"

"That's the beautiful thing about this curse; no one will have their memories, especially Rumpel. All of this-" Regina extended her arms out, gesturing out to the whole of The Enchanted Forest. "-will be gone and we, everyone here...we will all be different people, living the lives that I decide to give them."

The Count returned the dagger to the inside of his boot and folded his arms across his chest, clear that he didn't like the methods of his Queen one bit, and looked away from his Queen once more.

"Don't forget…" Regina said, noticing his body language. She waved her hand and a small amount of orange magic appeared in the air under the Huntsman's chin, forcing him to turn his head and look at her once more no matter how hard he tried to resist it. "…you are bound to me Roland by your stupid desire for power, King Leopold is dead, your loyalty now goes to me. Rumpelstiltskin can't help you, not again and if you try to help him…I WILL kill you."

Roland, unable to look away, simply swallowed hard and nodded once. Regina seemed pleased with this and waved the orange magic wisp away, leaving The Count free once more.

Regina had the carriage stop far before they had arrived at the village, giving specific instructions for the entire party to wait here for her return. Now out of the carriage, Regina took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She extended her hands out, bending them up at the elbow and felt the magic running through her fingertips and waved her hands down. A spell had been put on the Queen, a disguise, so that anyone that might look upon her would not see Regina, but a common noblewoman. The Huntsman brought Regina a small hand mirror for Regina to look over her handy-work in and nodded, satisfied. She conjured up a basket of apples and began her walk into the village.

Not many things surprised The Evil Queen, but when she arrived in the village to see that it had already been more-or-less destroyed, this put her off her game, just a bit. She passed herself off as a simple traveler, and wormed her way into the conversation of the townspeople into learning about the fire from the night before, and the feral beast attack. Now, she knew what the beast attack entailed, but the fire…that had dark magic written all over it. But instead of try to piece that together, she continued her search for Belle.

As luck would have it, Regina was just on the outskirts of town when she noticed a woman, covered in blood and limping into the village. But what Regina found more interesting than that, was that the woman was walking _away_ from an old barn. With a small smirk, Regina, disguised as the traveler, waited until the limping woman passed her by before heading straight for the barn. It was a good thing too, because in her lack of patience Regina was about ready to kill everyone in the village that _wasn't_ Belle.

XXX

The light of day shone down upon him, and though it served to remind him of why Night was glad protection was as easy as conjuring a set of gnarly armor, it still couldn't do anything to remove the shroud of darkness swirling and pulsing in the large area around him. At least, there were no people or animals in the general area (from lack of bird call, he knew this to be true), in case the cursed woman transformed again. Thinking about the beast that had caused such harm to a strong werewolf, he didn't want to dwell on such an issue for too long, seeing as much of this business really didn't/shouldn't involve him. And so, he took some time to scrutinize a portion of his own armor.

The articulations of the gauntlets were unnatural in comparison to actual human forged metal gnarled armor, which ground noisily with each moment. They moved as deftly as his own bare hands and, like earlier indicated, having tried human armor in the past, he knew they were much, much better than real gauntlets. Still, he couldn't help but both take some time to examine the shadow gnarled armor, and appreciate it for its protection.

Regina made no hesitation in her step as she neared the barn, able to spot the man in black a ways away. At first she was tempted to scream and shout at the man, to make him return to his post back by her carriage on the road; but as she got closer she realized that he wasn't one of her men. Was there someone else out there having their men dressing the same as hers? This question put a frown on Regina's face and felt her blood beginning to boil. Everyone knew that Regina was the main threat in the Enchanted Forest...well, aside from her mentor Rumpelstiltskin, but he didn't have 'men' at his beckoning call. He had…caretakers…

Shifting the weight of the basket of apples on her hip, Regina continued forward until she was at a comfortable speaking distance between herself and the shade, and smiled a warm greeting.

"Good morning! I hear that I might find Miss Belle here, is that correct? The woman in the red cloak told me as such." Regina wanted to vomit. She absolutely detested the sweet, innocent voice that came out of her throat. The quicker she got this over with, the better. She figured that by adding on the woman in the red cloak would grant her some sort of unspoken trust, since she had indeed seen her coming from this direction. If she was wrong...well...she always had her magic to rely on, and was really looking forward to it.

Night didn't respond immediately, instead taking a moment to examine a particular joint of his shadow armor before lifting his head, tilting it 'curiously' at this person before him. A normal enough peasant woman…this was worrying. Did she not see his aura of darkness, which licked the areas around him in angry, pulsing tendrils. A thief? Abusive mother? Practitioner of dark arts?! Internally, he was practically banging his head against the wall for his crazy paranoid ideas and delusions. For all Night knew, this could be another werewolf, or a cursed individual…but such things were few and far between, and yet, just as few as some of his crazier ideas.

Leaning back against the barn, his armor articulating soundlessly with his movements and postures, he crossed his arms over his chest and queried stiffly.

"What do they call you, and what is your business here…" Trailing off, he took note of the basket of apples she brought with her…huh, apples. Somehow, they seemed odd, apples and the odd tone of voice she used.

"Oh! Where are my manners? I deeply apologize sir! You may call me Cora if you would like. All with what happened last night I can't blame you for being on edge."

Why the first female name Regina could think of to go by belonged to her mother she would never know, but she didn't even so much as hesitate as the words came out of her mouth. Lying, deceiving and outright catching someone off-guard; well, she had been well learned in that department for years now.

"If you've brought provisions, you can leave them with me…I can bring them to the lady when she wants them." Assuming, all she had to offer were apples. A tailor...wouldn't be crazy, but he was highly doubtful that Red would bring a doctor, if she herself needed one much, much more.

It was then that he regretted not following Red. Two choices, stay with the cursed woman, or help Red along…which would bring him to directly mingle with the other villagers. At the time, Night wanted to avoid the other, and he was sure Red was strong. But, seeing all the other women with lesser to no injury, and she seemed in a much more dire situation. Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, and thinking of his wolfish companion more than he admittedly should, Night spoke down quietly to the woman, "…you have seen the red cloak. Tell me, was she…still holding her left side painfully? Was she having a hard time limping around…?"

"Oh yes! Such a poor girl, a shame really. I passed her by along the way and pointed her in the direction of a healer. I've seen worse though, much worse. She'll be fine provided she gets enough rest." Regina internally grit her teeth, this man's questions were trying her patience, but she continued on. "She told me I could find Belle here; you see, I'm related to her late husband and have been worried sick about her ever since the wedding. If you please, sir, I would like to speak with her...I only wish to help."

Hmmm…he had 'carefully' worded that. 'Passed along'? Pointed her in the right direction? Unlikely. Night may not have been the closest to the werewolf, but he knew that for such a jarring injury, it should have been easy for any mortal to remember that Red's injury was holding onto her right side. As well, how would a relative of Belle just happen to know to contact Red, when the two women happened to only get better acquainted just yesterday?

Wait, no, the two of them could have discussed this inside, once he had left. Who to find, what to ask for…internally, he scolded himself for not staying inside when they were having their discussions. Then part of him was telling him that this was paranoid as hell, and the rest reminded him that he shouldn't even care. What did this matter to him? Deciding that she had just been mistaken, for now, he proceeded. Well, there was only one thing to do at present…

The armored shade turned and opened the door ever so slightly, looking over his shoulder at the peasant woman; he spoke loud enough for Belle to hear from inside the barn,

"As the woman's relative, it will be up to her whether she will see you. She has…been afflicted by something rather unknown to any of us, and it will be up to her whether she shall risk triggering this affliction and potentially harming you." The aura of darkness pulsed and swirled gently around him, like black, inky smoke in the air...as he waited for a response from either women present.

"You mean the curse?" Regina said knowingly, though this wasn't by accident. "Oh I know all about that dear; in fact, that's why I'm here; well, partially."

Regina moved past the shade and into the barn where she spotted Belle in the corner and greeted her with a warm smile.

"And at last we meet!" Regina adjusted the basket of apples on her hip and proceeded forward towards the woman covered in the red cloak to hide her nakedness.

When the woman stepped in Belle looked up to look her over. She seemed excited but Belle got the gut feeling that there was much more to the woman. She remained sitting in the same position in the pile of hay, her body covered by Red's cloak and grateful for the warmth it provided.

"Do I know you?" Belle asked, eyebrow slightly rose in question.

"We haven't met officially, no, but I know you." Regina replied with a warm tone to her voice and squatted down in front of Belle, taking an apple from her basket and offering it to her.

"Gaston has told me much about you, Belle. What a treat it is to have someone as kind and beautiful as yourself in our family! I sincerely send my condolences for my nephew. A day hasn't gone by since your wedding that I haven't thought of him..." Regina feigned a small sniffle, using her deep amount of willpower to keep herself from busting out into laughter. "Now, I can't imagine that Gaston hasn't mentioned his dear Aunt Cora to you, however I wouldn't be too surprised. The two of you only had a short time together before the wedding from what I understand; that you had been held prisoner by that _monstrous_ beast, Rumpelstiltskin, and had only just escaped..."

Belle grew confused at the mention of Gaston's name. Any family that had been important to Gaston, Belle knew about. She couldn't recall any Aunt Cora's. She clenched her jaw as she looked at the woman. The mention of Rumpelstiltskin hurt her. It hadn't been that long but it felt like years. He wasn't a monster, not to her. Others didn't know him like she did. The memories started coming back, shaking her head the brunette tried to push the memories back. Blinking a few times she soon met the eyes opposite her.

"I'm sorry, is there a reason you're here? How did you find me?" She asked, that feeling in the pit of her stomach slowly returned, something warned her not to trust this woman. Belle wasn't one to judge so early on but something about this woman was starting to seem odd, even without her instinct telling her so.

Regina could sense the hesitation, and this caused her to begin to worry. Perhaps this...Belle deserved more credit that she had initially given her credit for, but Regina knew that once she gained Belle's trust, it would be smooth sailing from then on.

"I came here for the wedding, you see." Regina began, formulating a plausible lie in her head as she went, making sure to take into account everything she had learned from the villagers here and even Rumpelstiltskin himself during her brief visits to the Dark Castle to learn as much about Belle's situation as she could. "I was to take you and Gaston to your Honeymoon in my carriage after the wedding, but in light of what had...happened..." She paused for a moment; a moment that could easily be passed off as 'Cora' taking a moment of silence for her departed nephew. However Regina's motive was far more sinister than that. She _wanted_ the memories of what Belle had done to Gaston to come back, to eat away at her the same way Regina was sure it had already done a thousand or so times.

Belle clenched her jaw once more at the mention of Gaston's name. She looked away briefly, his screams echoing in her ears. She tightly shut her eyes and let out a shaky breath. Belle listened but her expression showed how cautious she was.

Regina took the extended apple that Belle hadn't moved to take and placed it back in the basket where she then just set the basket of apples down on the barn floor next to the brunette beauty.

"It seems that fate had something else in store for me Belle, I am here to help you."

Regina reached into the apron pocket she had adorned while taking on the false identity of a noblewoman and pulled out a golden hair pin in the shape of a rose. The gold in itself looked to be in immaculate condition, but even aside from that there was a faint, glittering glow that encompassed the hair pin entirely that made it look all the more dazzling.

"You were right to come and hide in here dear, the villagers...they don't understand what you have been put through, what has been done to you. Your own father; he's in shambles with what happened last night. I tried reasoning with him, but as far as he is concerned, the real Belle died in the forest; he just can't cope with...well, you know..." Regina paused again to let that sink in, even if it were an outright lie.

"It took some doing, but after the incident at the wedding, I managed to come up with this..." Regina held out the hair pin for Belle to take and examine. "I'm not the greatest with enchantments, but I did what I could..."

She watched the woman's hands, seeing the hair pin Belle was intrigued, its shimmer somehow drawing her in. It was a gorgeous piece of jewelry and it continued to entrance her with its shimmer. Cora's voice was what snapped Belle out of it.

Her father? He was safe? Alive? Belle smiled lightly at the news, her memory flashing back, reminding her of what had almost happened to Maurice. She looked up at the woman then to the hair pin once again. Reaching out she took hold of the jewelry, it was very light. The magic from the hair piece seemed to flow from it and through Belle's body. A few short moments after she felt relieved, as if a big weight had been torn off her back. She felt…happy…

Belle's blue eyes met Cora's.

"Is it gone? Did this take it away?" Belle asked. That's what it felt like but she wanted to be sure. "Can I touch the roses again? Smell them?" Her voice was hopeful. If this had truly taken away her curse she would be forever grateful to this Cora, Gaston's aunt.

"As long as you have that enchanted hair pin, my dear, you will be free of the curse. You can be yourself again!" Regina feigned a smile, pretending to be happy with the news in order to help Belle feel more comfortable, but that's all it was; a well-practiced, perfected fake smile.

Belle grew excited to hear the news. She didn't have to stay away from the roses, she could be herself…the beast was gone! Belle never had an issue with keeping things safe, she wasn't at all worried that she would lose the hair pin. It would practically always be in her hair. Slowly, although her hair was a mess she fixed it and put the hair pin on. It fit perfectly, meant for her.

"However..." Regina's smile fell. "I fear that it is no longer safe for you here Belle, at least for now. That is why I want you to return home with me; to the cottage Gaston had intended for the two of you to stay in for your Honeymoon."

Belle's expression grew slightly worried. But as Cora's word's continued she wasn't as concerned. Belle didn't really have anywhere to go, her father wouldn't want her back after she almost killed him. What was there to lose? Nothing. She would be with someone who finally seemed to care, someone who was willing to help her, who had helped her. Taking a few moments Belle slowly nodded.

"I'll go with you Cora, I don't have anything left here. But we cannot leave just yet. I have to wait for Red to return."

Regina threw her arms around Belle lightly in a hug once she had agreed to go with her, a gesture that could easily be taken as happiness, relief even that Belle had agreed, and as Regina hugged Belle tightly, she couldn't help but to smile genuinely. She was going to get her revenge on Rumpelstiltskin; finally. However, the smile dropped immediately when Belle requested to wait for Red. She wanted to ask 'who the hell is red?' but stopped herself as she pulled away from Belle and looked at the red cloak she had been wearing. There was a slight boot shuffling sound behind her, reminding Regina that the man dressed in black armor was still there, thus making Regina remember the injured female she had passed on the way here.

Regina wanted to scoff. Friends, why were there always friends? She kept her composure though and nodded to Belle in understanding.

"Why don't we go and look for her? She was in pretty bad shape, I can't imagine she would have gone far..."

_"And then I will have you alone at last!" _Regina's thoughts entertained her.

Regina got up from the floor and dusted off her dress, figuring she'd have her servants back home clean it even though she knew she'd never wear it again. She quickly glanced over to the man in black armor and then back to Belle.

"Your friend can stay here in case she comes back, that way we don't waste the afternoon on a wild goose chase." She offered.

Watching her stand and dust herself off Belle shook her head.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable going out just yet. Red shouldn't be long, be patient. She'll return shortly." Mentioning that she was wearing no clothes was something Belle was trying to avoid. Besides, she had to give Red her cloak back, she needed it.

Internally, Regina sighed; but she hadn't given up; not yet. Once more, she turned to the man in black and gave him a smile.

"Would you be so kind as to hunt our friend down for us? It _would_ be so nice for Belle to at least say goodbye before she leaves this place..."

The shade listened in quietly, till he was surprised with the woman addressing him this time. The peasant woman wanted him to find Red, but as he was not her keeper...he eyed the red cloak covering the cursed young woman, and it was clear that she intended to make a return.

As if on cue, the door to the barn slowly creaked open and Red came through the threshold, using her hand to grip the door frame tightly in an effort to keep from falling over. In her other hand was a rather large bundle of clean clothes, clenched tightly to keep any of the articles from falling. It took her a bit, but eventually Red managed to get inside of the barn and shut the door behind her, lest any intruders thought of following her inside, however one had already seemed to make herself at home already.

"Uhm..."

Regina and Red made eye contact, and though Red's remained confused and surprised, Regina's narrowed.

"You know what? I can't do this anymore. I've had it up to here with your pathetic little friends." Regina said almost immediately, dropping the sweet and warm tone in her voice to match her very own, however it wasn't until Regina ran her hand downwards that the spell keeping her identity concealed did she truly have her own voice back.

It was Red's turn for her eyes to narrow. The moment Regina's cloaking spell came off; she knew they were in danger.

"RUN! IT'S THE QUEEN!" Red shouted, in an effort to warn her friends.

Night watched the ordeal with great surprise. He supposed this was what happened when he travelled out of country for such a length of time, not being able to identify certain key people. Still, his reaction was great, and though there were two women he could protect...it was automatic, jumping in front of the companion he spent more time with, Red. Materializing a blade out of swirling shadow and pointing it at the woman, his aura spiked before forming several reaching defensive tendrils, awaiting any offensive movements.

Belle stumbled backwards in shock and confusion. The Queen?! What did she want from her? Why had she been so kind to her? The brunette heavily debated on removing the hair pin and tossing it aside. For all she knew the queen could've made her situation worse. Possibly even cursed the beauty again. She gripped the cloak tightly as she slowly got up, making her way around the queen Belle grew scared. Something didn't feel right but she ignored it, it was an eerie feeling, crawling across her skin. Moving closer to the other two she stepped in front of Red and behind the man. Red was injured and the knight would probably do a better job at protecting them.

Regina aptly tossed her head back and laughed, flashing her brilliant whites. One arm extended out towards Belle while the other extended towards Red and Night. The hand which was closest to Belle began to illuminate a few shades brighter, as if a light were inside her palm and trying to get out. With a slight jerk with her hand, Regina pushed out the magic that had been building up inside her, sending a small stream of light between her hand and Belle until the light hit Belle, and then encompassing Belle's entire body.

Regina had her stuck in a statuesque pose, and no matter how much Belle tried, she was unable to move. Looking away from Belle after ensuring her magic hold on Belle had took; she glanced back over to Night and Red.

"Night...is it?" Regina asked after she had finished laughing, cocking her head to the side in curiosity as she looked the man over with genuine interest. Without even so much as waiting for a reply, Regina raised the hand that had been previously pointed towards the duo straight above her. Then, as if a crate of cannonballs had been dropped onto the roof, a hole blew out letting the bright fingers of the sun filter in, landing directly on Night and Red.

In an instant, the darkness of the barn was swapped with the endless light of day, straight from the bright blue sky. Not great, the quick change, while mildly harsh on the eyes for normal humans...greatly blinding, even with his helm hanging over his face. Letting out a hiss of discomfort, Night turned his head ever so slightly away from where the light poured over.

"Oh don't look too surprised, I know who you are...what you're capable of..." Regina trailed off and smirked a knowing grin. Her eyes left Night for a moment to look past him at Red. The look on Red's face almost caused Regina to begin laughing once more, but she just smiled.

"You! You killed Snow! It was you! You took her from me!" Red screamed out at Regina, keeping the tears at bay the best she could, trying to push past Night in the process to have a go at Regina herself. This, of course, caused Regina to laugh once more.

"You stupid girl! I had as much to do with Snow White's death as I did your helpless little boyfriend's." Regina replied. "Snow _chose_ to die, a pathetic effort to keep me from terrorizing my people. Well...it is a bit difficult to make sure I held up my end of the deal now that she's dead..." An evil smirk crossed Regina's red lips, causing Red to try to push past Night once more as she let out a hiss of anger.

"Oh that's right! Your pathetic little boyfriend didn't choose to die did he? No, _YOU_ convinced him to chain himself up to a tree so you could enjoy him as a midnight snack. What was his name again? Rupert? John?" Regina went on, enjoying watching the way that Red squirmed.

Blinking quite a number of times as his eyes adjusted slowly to the light, having never been great with it, Night wasn't sure about what he was hearing. In the current situation, though his eyes were adjusting and he couldn't help but hear all this, he remained focused on the task at hand, feeling a strange amount of pity for his wolf companion. Reaching out his free hand, he grabbed at where Red stood once she pushed passed him, trying for an arm. Somehow, his gnarled gauntlet found a wrist...and he pulled her to stand closer behind him.

In hopes that, the Queen hadn't moved. With his slightly faded tendrils of darkness surging forward and criss-crossing over where he remembered she stood, they solidified just as he took his blade and drove it forward. Night had assumed correctly, Regina hadn't moved and watched with amusement as Red was pulled back like a dog on a leash to keep from getting harmed. Regina held out her hand, her palm facing outwards all the while keeping Belle as stiff as a board with her other hand. The shadowed sword stopped just inches from Regina's soft, unarmored skin and her red lips split into a white grin.

"Oh, you _really_ shouldn't have done that. And here I was, going to be nice and let you and your mutt off the hook..." Regina deftly shook her head no and raised her hand, forcing the sword to fly straight up until the point embedded in one of the overhead rafters.

"It won't matter what happens to you next I suppose; in fact, none of you will even remotely remember this happening by the time I unleash my curse..." Regina said, almost as if just having a pleasant conversation with herself. "No matter...can't take any chances now can we?" Regina flicked her free wrist once more, and snapped her fingers. A cloud of purple smoke completely encased both Red and Night, and with the blink of an eye the smoke cleared, and they were gone.

"Now..." Regina turned her full attention to Belle and smiled once again, so glad to have things going her way once more. "Rumpel really was a fool to drive you away; as if I'd pass up the chance to trap him like the rat he is." Regina ran two of her fingers through the ends of Belle's hair gently, as if she were made of glass, and gave Belle a thoughtful smile, knowing full well that Belle was unable to move, let alone speak.

"Come now, we have an Imp to destroy..." Regina wiggled one of the fingers on her hand that kept Belle in her control, forcing Belle's body to do her will and walked out of the barn with Regina. They didn't stop walking until Regina came upon her carriage and handful of men she had left behind on the outskirts of town, pleased to see that a small cage-like carriage had been hooked up to the two horses that hadn't been pulling Regina's carriage, no doubt stolen from the very village she had been in not moments ago.

Belle was quickly shoved inside the cage where the door was tightly shut and locked, only then did Regina let up on the curse keeping her body bound.

"Are you going to harm her?" Count Roland asked, coming around to stand next to Regina as she looked into the cage at Belle as if she were some sort of exotic animal on display.

"I'm going to destroy Rumpel's heart. Unfortunately for him, Belle is where he keeps it..."

**Author's Note:**

**Ah snap! Shit's starting to go down! Haha. Also, ten points to anyone who can identify Count Roland's fairytale story. He's a bit obscure but hey, I didn't want to outright copy Graham/The Huntsman for this story (even though he was my favorite character before Rumpelstiltskin). Also, any Shadow Wolf shippers out there? XD  
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	12. Chapter 12: The Map

**Author's Note:**

**Well dearies we are coming up to the end of this story, I'm estimating 2 or three chapters after this one. And then we can move on to the REALLY good stuff :) I appreciate your enthusiasm and time taken out to read such a boring prologue, but as we all know, back stories are important to a good tale! Also, brief introduction of a new character! Hurray! (He won't be around long though, probably JUST this chapter actually...)**

Prince James shook his head lightly as he headed down to the courtyard where he was told he had a visitor, no doubt the very visitor Rumpelstiltskin had told him about just hours ago. Just how was it that he found himself at Rumpelstiltskin's mercy once again? Stopping at the top of the stairs, Prince James put his hand over his heart, taking a moment to feel it beating strong against his hand and remembered; he would do _anything_ for Snow.

Rejuvenated by a new air of confidence, James proceeded to the courtyard and found a young man no older than seventeen standing there, right hand resting on the hilt of his sword while his bright, young eyes surveyed the breath-taking scenery of the castle grounds.

Prince James shook his head lightly, unable to hold back a light chuckle that came from his throat as he looked upon the boy with a gleaming smile.

"I was wondering when I'd be seeing you again." James said folding his arms over his broad chest. The boy seemed to snap out of whatever trance the beauty of the castle grounds had him in and beamed back at Charming, his cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment at having been caught in a moment of 'awe.'

"You didn't think I'd let you rule the Kingdom without me did you?" The boy asked in reply and closed the distance between himself and Charming. Their arms extended and the two shared a quick, but firm hug before they pulled away, though Charming kept his hands on the boys shoulders.

The boy, although thin and tired looking was a pretty decent looking fellow. He had to laugh as he looked over the boy's choice of hairstyle as he quickly realized what Rumpelstiltskin was talking about. The right side of his head was completely shaved, the left nearly three times as long as Charming's causing the bangs to get into the boys bright brown eyes frequently. The boy tossed his hair out of his eyes and pulled out of Charming's soft grip on his shoulders and tilted his head to the side questioningly.

"What's so funny?" The boy asked and Charming just shook his head.

"Nothing, I'm just glad to see you again." Charming reassured the boy and gave him a pat on the back. "So what brings you to my castle Hawkins? A bit more than just a place to rest your head in between adventures I hope."

"I'm afraid I can't deter your thoughts James, my ship was in need of repairing but as soon as it is, I must be off again." Jim Hawkins said with a bit of a guilty look.

"You know, I could just…_give_ you the money you need to help your mother-" Charming started but Jim held up a fast hand, stopping him.

"Thank you, but I have to do this on my own. You of anyone should know that."

James nodded in understanding, that he did.

"Then come, we will have a light breakfast and I will replenish your provisions; I'm not taking no for an answer." He added in abruptly when the boy opened his mouth to speak. Jim sighed with a smile and nodded, pushing back his bangs from his eyes again and walked with Charming into the castle.

"I don't know how I can thank you enough for your hospitality…" Jim began.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll think of something…"

XXX

"My map?" Jim asked with a mouth half-full of warm bread. "Why would The Dark One want my map? He can't use it, it only works with light magic."

Prince James shrugged as he popped a few grapes into his mouth, for the moment glad that Snow wasn't around to yell at him to keep his boots off of the table as he lounged back and retold his story to Jim Hawkins.

"It beats me. Rumpelstiltskin's a bit of a collector, maybe there's a set or something." Charming tried.

"It's not a set." Jim said indefinitely. "How can it be a set if the map shows you everything from everywhere?"

"How does that work exactly?" James asked, pulling his boots off of the table to look at his friend with interest.

"The map doesn't just show things of this world James, it shows other worlds, other realms…even I don't know the limit of its knowledge. It's how I get around so easy, I just think of a different land and the map takes me there. I don't know how it 'works' exactly, but it hasn't failed me yet."

James nodded and took a drink of water from his goblet.

"Well, regardless of what he does with it…_if_ he can do anything with it, he wants it…it's his price for Snow…" James bowed his head in remembrance, causing Jim to clear his throat awkwardly.

"I'll never forget the kindness Snow showed me when she found me on the streets eight years ago, and for that I am forever in her debt but perhaps…" Jim reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment that had been folded up time and time again. "…perhaps this will help." He put the folded up parchment on the table with utter reluctance, but the knowing look he gave Charming kept the Prince from trying to protest, it was something that Jim _wanted_ to do…for Snow.

"Thank you." James said sincerely, and reached over to take the map and pocketed it. Jim nodded in reply and stole a look out the window to see the sun was up much higher than he had anticipated.

"I should get going. I'd hate to leave my crew to the mercy of their boredom if I'm not there to command them." Jim said with a tired smile. James got up from the table as Jim did and the two shared a firm handshake.

"Thank you, again…I'll have Snow send word once she's returned. She'll be very angry with you that you didn't stay long enough to say hello." James chuckled and Jim beamed.

"Goodbye my friend, and good luck."

XXX

When Red opened her eyes, she found herself standing beside a village road. To her right a few carts selling fresh produce with a handful of people bouncing back and forth in between to get the best prices, and to her left a small Inn. Red turned her head left and right repeatedly, even forcing her injured body to look behind her as well. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she looked for Night and Belle, but neither of them were anywhere near her, the wolf senses had told her that long ago. But even stranger than that, no one in the town seemed to realize that a woman in clear pain had appeared out of nowhere just seconds ago. It was perhaps for the best, as Red didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to herself; but just where had The Evil Queen sent her?

Suddenly, Red's nose picked up on something; a particular smell she wasn't even sure why she remembered. Spinning her head around to where the scent was coming from, she spotted Prince James heading hurriedly down a road between two buildings.

Red blinked...twice. Did she really just see what she thought she saw? It could have been that the salty sea air was tricking her senses into thinking she smelt him, but could it be coincidence that the man _looked_ like him too?

Making up her mind, Red held fast to her ribcage and attempted to hurry after him, following him more on scent than sight as he was able to get out in front of her a lot easier than she could catch up. Finally, rounding a corner and into a second alley between two small buildings, she caught James holding up a piece of paper and talking up towards the sky.

"I have it! I have what you want!" James called out to the sky, causing Red to quirk an eyebrow.

"Charming?" She called, breaking the assumption that James had been alone. His head snapped back down to its normal level, his eyes growing wide in spotting his old friend. His mouth hung slightly agape, unbelieving but yet, there she was.

"Red?"

Red nodded and smiled. As much as she had dreaded meeting up with Charming again, she was even more-so glad that she had been placed with a familiar face. James briskly ran to Red, overcome with joy upon her appearance and extended his arms out to bury her into one of his famous hugs.

"What happened? After Snow...no one heard from or saw you-"

Red held up her hands with effort, keeping James from hugging her although God knew she could use one right about then, and then grabbed at her ribcage once more, sucking in a breath as a wave of pain pulsed through her.

"It's a long story...what...what were you doing?" She asked, ignoring the concerned look she was getting from her friend as he had taken notice to her injuries. He looked to the map in his hand, and then back to Red, realizing that she must have spotted him trying to summon Rumpelstiltskin. He held up his hands defensively, as if knowing what to expect from Red and her reaction to what he was about to tell her.

"Like you, it's a long story. But I've found a way to get to Snow, to bring her back."

Red couldn't help but to grin widely at the news. At this point, she didn't care how it happened, only that it did.

"Rumpelstiltskin, he's to give me a ring that will lead me straight to her, I just had to get this map for him first. Not sure why he would need it, everyone knows that only those who wield light magic can use its powers..."

"Rumpelstiltskin? You mean The Dark One?" Red's smile faltered immediately. Maybe she wasn't as open to the idea of 'anything goes to get Snow back' after all.

"I know, I know, but I need Snow, now more than ever. Regina's taken over our castle and I'm forced to rule my fathers, she's carrying my child...I won't stop at anything to get her back."

Red's smile returned, just a bit, watching the love grow in James' eyes with each and every word he spoke. She could only nod.

"Then we get Snow, and take back your castle...together."

A gust of wind suddenly picked up, forcing Red to topple into James in her weak state but he caught her gently as to not further her injuries. Purple smoke began to cloud around their feet, and the two could only look down as the smoke continued to envelop them. Red knew what was going to happen next. She was being sent away somewhere…again...but was this the work of The Evil Queen? Or someone else?

XXX

Rumpelstiltskin remained frozen in place until he felt the presence of Mushu leave his castle entirely. Only then did he walk to the opposite side of the room where a number of small pedestals showed off various objects; some appearing to be of great, magical worth, and some appearing to be junk. It was a small, chipped tea-cup that Rumpelstiltskin approached and gently took it off the pedestal, turning it in his hand as he gently looked it over. Silently, he walked over to a locked glass cabinet and placed the teacup inside and pushed it towards the back where it could be easily forgotten about, and pulled out an old, rolled up scroll in which he placed on the pedestal where the teacup had once been.

"Goodbye Belle..."

He paid the teacup no more attention as he walked back to the table, stopping to pick up the thrown apple first and set it on one of the fruit plates that Heather had laid out earlier. He had entirely forgotten that she was even still in the room with him.

Heather watched Rumpelstiltskin carefully and heard his quiet goodbye and she asked as he placed the apple back on a plate.

"Belle? Who is she?" Heather cursed herself for blurting out the question. She feared that he may decide to kill her for stopping him and asking something that might have been too personal.

Rumpelstiltskin looked up from the table, slowly coming to realize that Heather had never left. He straightened his back and walked away from Heather and the table, going to the only window not covered by old curtains and rested his hands behind his back, watching the morning sun light-up the far reaches of the Enchanted Forest. He was quiet for some time, as he usually was before speaking from his heart as Heather would come to realize during her stay in his castle.

"She was a servant here, not too long ago..." He spoke softly.

Heather looked to Rumpelstiltskin, noting the connection between the silence and his answers. She was slightly disappointed that he didn't answer in more detail. There was clearly more to this Belle than her just being a previous servant.

Rumpelstiltskin turned from the window to face Heather, uncomfortable in the silence. The gentle light reflected off his golden-flecked skin in a peculiar way, almost as if it the sun itself were trying to illuminate the person beyond the monster inside of him.

"You're not the first to clean my castle dearie, not in the slightest."

Heather resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the last comment, she had already figured that she wasn't the first person to work in his castle. She commented logically,

"Ah, but this Belle seems much more important to you than just a mere servant. If that wasn't the case, then why try to push her away and try very hard to forget about her?"

"She was important, yes." He said quietly, turning his head to look back out the window for a moment. At first it seemed that he was going to ignore her later remark, however he did eventually speak again, though this time back to his child-like-self in the way he spoke, mocking his very own words as if the entire thing were a joke to him.

"There once was a monster that kidnapped a young woman. She cooked and cleaned and did everything he asked. Over the months, the monster FOOLISHLY mistook her company for love and had to cut his losses before he lost himself." He said theatrically. Again, Rumpelstiltskin turned to face Heather, though this time he walked away from the window and towards the table where she was. "Why the sudden interest?" He asked, his cold eyes narrowing slightly; not in anger, but in curiosity, causing Heather to raise her eyebrows at his question.

She shrugged answering him,

"Curiosity. The human mind is one of the things I researched before I came here."

She could see, from how he spoke about Baelfire and Belle, that Rumpelstiltskin _did _have a good side, just like everyone else, despite the dark side that he flaunted.

"Ah, yes..." Rumpelstiltskin straightened up once more and gestured flamboyantly towards Heather's head. "I can see from the way your head swells at the top that you are quite the researcher!" He giggled at his own remark, allowing her to take that in whatever way she wished. Heather narrowed her gaze at Rumpelstiltskin to show that she wasn't amused.

"However!" Rumpelstiltskin held up a finger. "Books can only get you so far..." He held out his hand and a swirl of purple smoke appeared, disappearing to show that in his hand was the spell book that he had given her just the night before which she had kept in her room. And as if to prove his previous statement, he tossed it behind him without a care in the world. "Chapter One: Get angry. That one you passed with flying colors dearie! And so on we go!"

Heather crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to get to the point.

Rumpelstiltskin had turned the somewhat revealing conversation about himself into a magic lesson with the blink of an eye. He waved his hand just as he did before he summoned the spell book in an effort to show her what it was that he did before the book had appeared in his hand, indicating that he wanted her to do the same thing, and summon the spell book that was now a couple feet away from her on the floor to her hand directly.

She watched his gestures carefully, and knew what he wanted her to do. She sighed through her nose, calling upon her anger again, and recalling what she read last night. She mimicked his gesture, and the spell book appeared in her hand, in a cloud of blue smoke.

Rumpelstiltskin observed Heather with a straight face, however his body language let on that he wasn't unhappy with her progress. He stared at the book in her hand, expecting...something to transpire. Perhaps for it to dematerialize or catch on fire...but when the book remained solid and unwavering, Rumpelstiltskin cracked a smile.

Heather didn't expect the book to remain in one piece. She honestly thought she wasn't going to succeed the first time, and yet, it seemed that she had managed to perform the spell perfectly.

"It seems that you have more magical aptitude than I initially gave you credit for dearie." He said making the book disappear out of her hand and into his own. He flipped the book open and turned a few pages, insuring that everything was still in order. After the book passed it's 'test' he waved his hand and the book was gone, back in the bedroom Heather had slept in the night before.

"Enlighten me...how is a woman of your particular upbringing so well practiced in dark magic?" He asked, genuine curiosity playing into his amused, child-like voice. "A day ago you didn't even know what magic was! And yet, here you are continuing to impress me. THAT doesn't happen very often!"

She shrugged at his question to show that his guess was as good as hers. She commented, "I can only hypothesize that it may have to do with my being an academic prodigy back in London. And I'd like to think that studying beforehand helps,"

"WRONG!" Rumpelstiltskin said immediately, holding up a single finger and causing Heather to jump slightly. "What is it with you book people? Always...'thinking!'" He said gesturing wildly with his arms and grimacing, as if it were a bad thing. "As I said, magic comes from _emotion_! There is no..."thinking" involved." He rested himself back so that he was halfly sitting on the edge of the table and held his hands in his lap loosely. "You have a dark anger; that memory you hold...it must be quite powerful..." He went on, his voice calming down a bit but letting on that he wished for her to share her memory with him. He had only caught onto bits of it from last night.

"It's not that powerful...After all, Frankenstein isn't worth anything," She muttered the last part under her breath. Despite her anger towards Frankenstein, she knew very well, that this wasn't her darkest memory. Her darkest memory, she believed, were the ones buried under the false memories her younger subconscious imagined.

Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help but to raise his eyebrow at the mention of a name. He cocked his head to the side in a curious manner and cupped his hand around his ear. "That name...what was it again?" He asked, goading her to tell him once more with his other hand.

Heather quirked an eyebrow when he asked about the name, and she uttered it out, like just saying his name would poison her.

"Frankenstein. Dr. Victor Frankenstein."

Did this imp know the scientist? Why was he so interested in the name she had mentioned.

Rumpelstiltskin practically bounced off of the table as he belted out a sudden, and very short "NYAAHA!" He brought his hands together and clapped them together in his excitement, now sitting fully on the table and swung his legs back and forth like a toddler with a secret. Finally, though, he managed to calm down.

"Would this be the same man who made it his entire life's work to raise the dead?" He queried, though his voice let on instantly that he already knew the answer. When he asked, she could tell there was clearly more going on when it came to Frankenstein and Rumpelstiltskin.

"Yes. That's him," She silently complained about how the Board thought that his research about raising the dead was much more important than research into the human mind.

Rumpelstiltskin let his head fall slightly and let out a laugh; not a childish giggle like usual, but a normal, human-like laugh. He raised his head up once again, his brown hair somewhat messily splayed in front of his eyes as he looked at her with an amused grin.

"When you have a hand in everyone's lives, irony is everywhere." He said more to himself than to Heather, but then went on. "He was here, you know. In The Enchanted Forest..."

Heather blinked at his comment and she let out a flat toned "What?" in response. Her seething anger towards Frankenstein was starting to come to the front of her mind.

Rumpelstiltskin hopped off the table and gestured around the general area with a wide sweep of his arm, generally ignoring her outburst.

"In this very room, in fact..." He took a couple steps back from Heather but brought his attention back to her. "Is he the one who told you about me? I can't imagine why he'd do that, after all...the heart he came here for didn't exactly work-" He went on, trailing off as he began to talk to himself.

She answered him, stopping him before he could trail off and ignore her completely, "He wasn't the one who told me about you. I read about you in a book. Now, Frankenstein came here...for a heart?"

"That IS correct!" Rumpelstiltskin replied jovially. "He needed a heart, and...let's be honest dearie, the hearts that come from your world are weak. TOO weak, in fact, to be able to sustain the work of your Doctor Fr-r-r-r-rankenstein! His work was limited to that of his very own world, and so, I offered him a way. He came here for a heart, a heart that held magical properties, a heart that was strong and could withstand his experimentations..." Rumpelstiltskin stopped to sneer lightly. "Well...we both know how that turned out..."

As Rumpelstiltskin spoke, and Heather thought more and more about Frankenstein's experiment and its results, her anger grew. She sneered in return after he made his last statement, "His experiment was a failure, and yet his..._work_ was considered more important than mine was," She clenched her fists tighter and tighter, as though she was going to draw blood from her palms, and the candlelight of the castle started to flicker on and off again as she seethed in silence.

Rumpelstiltskin began to circle her, though he knew that she wouldn't be paying him much attention anymore, not when he had raised her anger to nearly the right amount of anger he wanted her at. Finally, now behind her, Rumpelstiltskin delicately placed his hands on each of her shoulders and bent his head forward to whisper into her ear.

"Keep going..."

Heather continued, ignoring the fact that Rumpelstiltskin was now behind her and his hands were on her shoulders, her clenched fists were now shaking in rage and her voice raising itself until she was shouting angrily.

"And yet, he had the gall, the _GALL_, to present that farce of an experiment! But that's not enough for him! NO! He rubs it in my face and mocks me, telling me that women have no place in the science and medical fields! That...That **_FRAUD_**!"

As Heather ranted, her body went through the subtle changes once again, until she had Evelyn Hyde's appearance once again, "Evelyn Hyde came to be through science alone! No magic was required, WHAT! SO! EVER!"

After that shout, Heather's conscious was pushed back, and Evelyn took over once again. Evelyn looked at Rumpelstiltskin, as Heather's blue eyes turned to almost black again, and she looked somewhat bored. As she looked at her nails, she commented,

"You know magic doesn't just come from anger. I thought you already knew that,"

"I did." Rumpelstiltskin then grinned and stepped away from Evelyn, walking the semi-circle until he was facing her instead of being behind her, though kept a fair distance of three or so feet between the two of them.

"I'm glad you decided to come out and chat; I have a few...questions." He let his fingers dance around in the air a bit, grinning all the while indicating that he was rather eager to get started.

"Dr. Jekyll created you from contents within a bottle..." His hand shot forward and plucked a single hair from Evelyn and brought it before his face, holding it up to the light to examine the single strand of hair better. "...why?" He then ended his sentence, the last word stabbing and demanding sounding.

Evelyn looked up from her nails to see Rumpelstiltskin as he walked back into her line of sight. She noticed that he kept a fair distance away from her, but he still had that grin on his face. She raised an eyebrow when he started asked his question. She looked bored and disinterested as she rolled her eyes, and retorted "Testy, aren't we? And you're asking me to explain the boring motivations of the boring Doctor, when she could've rambled on about it to you herself,"

Rumpelstiltskin seemed to not be listening as he walked over to the cabinet and opened up the door, pulling out what looked like an empty bottle and let the hair drop down inside of it.

She smirked and answered, as she walked past him, "I'm an unforeseen consequence from Jekyll's experiment. She tried to create a concoction that would allow people to live without human-based evils, such as murder. She thought splitting the mind, psychologically speaking, would do the trick. And voila! Here I am! A new and improved version of Dr. Jekyll! Existing as my own person through the Doctor's body." She stopped and faced Rumpelstiltskin after she passed him, and she answered "So, to shorten that lengthy explanation, she wanted to help people. That's why she created me. Ironic isn't it?"

"Just a bit." Rumpelstiltskin mused with her in agreement, and promptly capped the glass vial with a cork before stowing it away, back into the cupboard from where it came, his eyes darting just for a minute onto the chipped teacup now stashed in the back.

"I have what I needed, you may...uh, change back if you like..." He said, using his hands to 'shoo' away Evelyn as he spoke. "Or stay, it really doesn't matter." He crossed to the opposite side of the room and pulled down the canvas that had been previously covering a mirror, and for a moment, he couldn't take his eyes off his reflection. Forcing himself out of his deep thoughts, he waved his hand over the mirror and the glass began to shift, rippling like a clear river with a small pebble dropped into it. The image of Rumpelstiltskin's reflection changed, and instead turned into an image of two people in an alley in some Kingdom, miles away.

Evelyn carefully watched Rumpelstiltskin as he stored a strand of Evelyn's hair into a glass vial. She was going to let Heather take control again because she was bored, but when Rumpelstiltskin said that it didn't matter and started doing something with the mirror, she opted to stay and watch.

_"I know, I know, but I need Snow, now more than ever. Regina's taken over our castle, she's carrying my child...I won't stop at anything to get her back."_ The male said to the female, obviously completely unaware that they were being watched.

_"Then we get Snow, and take back your castle...together."_ The female replied to the male with a reassuring smile. It was quite plain that the female was badly injured, and could of done with some immediate tending to. This caused Rumpelstiltskin to roll his eyes.

"Well I wasn't expecting _two_!" He practically hissed. "However, she just might come in handy..." He waved his hand and through the mirror, a cloud of purple smoke began to form underneath the duo's feet. The female fell into the male, and Rumpelstiltskin watched with little-to-no-interest as the smoke engulfed them. When the smoke had cleared, they were gone, only to appear just seconds later in the middle of the dining room between himself and Evelyn Hyde.

Evelyn's eyebrows rose, and her smirk widened into a malicious one when the two people landed between her and Rumpelstiltskin. She could tell that the woman was injured from the smell of blood that was coming from her. Evelyn also couldn't help but also detect the faint smell of roses from the woman as well. She commented laughing,

"Well isn't THIS interesting! Finally! I was getting bored!"

She then heard Heather begging her not to kill the two newcomers, considering that Rumpelstiltskin may have wanted them for a reason. Evelyn sighed under her breath slightly irritated and mentally answered Heather in her mind,

"_Ugh, Fine! I won't kill them..._"

James was the first to react. Upon seeing Rumpelstiltskin straight away, he carefully positioned himself in front of Red, though still holding her up as he didn't trust her to be able to hold her own just yet.

"Well...that's one way of doing it I suppose..." Prince James said taking his eyes off of Rumpelstiltskin for just a moment to look around the large Dining Hall, glancing quickly at Evelyn. A small chill rolled up his spine, something seemed very...off about her, but he shouldn't have been surprised considering where he was.

Evelyn easily recognized the look that Prince James had when he saw her. It was the same as well, everyone else's when they first met her back in London. It never got old. She waved to James when he glanced at her before he looked back at Rumpelstiltskin.

"I have your map..." Prince James freed one of his hands from holding Red up and reached for his shirt chest pocket and pulled it out, handing it out to Rumpelstiltskin for him to come and get. "Now, give me Snow's wedding ring..."

"So rude..." Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes, swapping out the map with the enchanted ring with a quick swipe of his wrist. Prince James looked at Snow's wedding ring that was now between his fingers, feeling the enchantment pulsing like a heartbeat.

"Why-why are you helping me? We both know that map is no use to you...what do you benefit by bringing Snow and I together?" Charming practically demanded. He knew there was something odd about this deal the moment it was made, though clouded by the fact that it would bring Snow and him together, he didn't give it much thought.

"Oh, I just want you and your twoooo wuv to be united once again, it does the heart good."

Rumpelstiltskin said pocketing the map and putting both his hands over his heart. Charming raised an eyebrow, shuffling his feet as he placed the ring into his pocket and adjusted his hold on Red.

"What do you know of true love?" He asked the Imp.

"Well not so much as you perhaps, but not so little as you might think!"

"You? You love someone?" This time, James rose both his eyebrows, and even Red, who was practically blacking out from the pain had to shoot The Dark One a surprised glance.

"It was a...brief...flicker of light amongst an ocean of darkness..." Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand, as if dismissing the conversation. This caused Red's and James' faces to fall.

"What happened?" Red couldn't help but to ask, bringing Rumpelstiltskin's eyes to her for the first time since they had arrived.

"She left...simple as that." Rumpelstiltskin replied bitterly. "That's the thing about true love dearie, it can slip through your fingers. It's the most powerful magic in the world; the only magic powerful enough to break any curse."

"True loves kiss...you're sure that will bring Snow back?" James asked, shifting topics to something less...awkward.

"Of course."

Red couldn't help it, her body had lost all willpower and despite James' hold on her, she collapsed quickly to the ground. James quickly knelt down beside her, for the first time really getting a good look at her injuries.

"My friend...she's hurt..." James said out loud, uncaring if he was stating the obvious. He had figured that Rumpelstiltskin would have picked up on what he was asking. "I'll give you anything you want. My father's Kingdom? It's yours. All I want is Snow, and for Red to be well again..."

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes.

"I don't want your kingdom!" He said, feigning a laugh. "What good would that do me if it's under the rule of Regina anyway?" Rumpelstiltskin let out an amused giggle and turned his back to Prince James, walking away from him and in the general direction of Evelyn.

"Name your price." Prince James practically demanded, desperation starting up in his voice.

"How about..." Rumpelstiltskin paused in his step and swiftly spun around. "...your cloak?"

Prince James looked up at Rumpelstiltskin. If he had been confused before, he was even more so now.

"My cloak? Why would you want my cloak?"

"It's drafty in here." Rumpelstiltskin replied quickly, outturning his hands as if it were obvious, but Prince James didn't feel any draft.

Keeping an eye on Rumpelstiltskin, Prince James got up from off of the floor and approached the Imp, removing his cloak and then tossed it to him. Rumpelstiltskin caught it on the fly, a wide grin crossing his crooked teeth while his other hand absent-mindedly waved in Red's general direction. James looked back at his friend, watching as the cuts and abrasions began to heal themselves. With Red now unconscious, he could only hope that it was healing whatever had been damaged inside of her too.

"Don't you have a damsel to save? What are you still doing here? Go!" Rumpelstiltskin chided giddily and waved his free hand, covering Prince James in a purple fog and then...he was gone. Rumpelstiltskin let out a bit of a giggle and took James' cloak over to the cabinet.

Evelyn watched and listened to the entire conversation, her expression clearly showed that she was becoming bored...again. She was even disappointed that the seemingly easy to scare man was sent away. As Rumpelstiltskin sent Prince James away, Evelyn switched back to Heather. Heather went up to the woman, and saw that she seemed to be completely healed, just as Rumpelstiltskin promised. Still, as a doctor she knew she couldn't be too careful, the woman could have internal injuries, and there was the question of how she got hurt to begin with.

She grabbed hold of one of the woman's arms, and lifted her up with the arm slung over Heather's shoulders, and the woman slumped against her. She said to Rumpelstiltskin, preemptively answering the question that she figured would come her way,

"I'm going to make sure she doesn't have any internal injuries, and I'm quite curious as to how she got hurt in the first place. Don't worry, I'll make sure she leaves when she wakes up."

Rumpelstiltskin simply waved Heather away, indicating that he didn't care as he laid out the cloak on the table and then went back to the cabinet to retrieve another glass vial.

Heather then took the woman to one of the empty bedrooms, and laid her down on the bed in the room. She figured it would take a while for the woman to wake up.

Rumpelstiltskin began to busy himself, conjuring up a pair of small tweezers and a magnifying glass after setting the glass bottle down on the table next to the cloak. There was already a hair inside, however this one was different than the one he had plucked from Evelyn beforehand. Rumpelstiltskin used the magnifying glass, examining the cloak closely until he found exactly what he was looking for. Using the tweezers, he plucked a single, short, blonde hair from the cloak; that of belonging to James. Keeping the hair locked tightly between the two metal tongs, Rumpelstiltskin used his other hand to uncork the bottle, and then gently laid James' hair inside.

The long, black hair that had been in there before seemed to stand up straight the moment James' hair came into contact with it. Corking the bottle, Rumpelstiltskin watched as the two separate hairs began to magically intertwine with one another, the one long black hair glowing a fiery magenta and James' hair glowing a radiant gold.

With a smirk of satisfaction to himself, Rumpelstiltskin returned the vial back to the cupboard, placing it with all the other vials in a neat and orderly row, each of them a symbol branded into the wood just underneath them; and under this new vial, a solid heart-shape. He wasted no time in grabbing the vial he had placed Evelyn's hair into earlier and went back to the table, setting it next to the cloak.

"Hey! This table is filthy!" Rumpelstiltskin shouted out to Heather in a demanding tone.

Heather had just finished checking the woman for any signs of internal injuries, when Rumpelstiltskin called to her. She jumped a bit, before she headed down and closed the door behind her. She hurried down and grabbed everything she needed to clean the table.

She came to the same room where Rumpelstiltskin was, and she figured out which table he was talking about. She answered his shout calmly,

"My apologies, I'll get to it," She then nodded to the cloak and vial, and she politely asked, "Do you mind? I can't exactly clean it thoroughly with anything on it, and I don't think you want me touching your things."

"As much as you like me touching yours..." Rumpelstiltskin jested quickly, snapping his arm out to pluck one of Heather's hairs from the top of her head. Without missing a beat, he opened up the glass vial and placed that hair into it with the other. With his free hand, he grabbed the cloak, using magic to have it worn over his shoulders properly and walked back to the cabinet, watching the two separate hairs dance with one another in a glowing blue and purple spectacular. He placed the vial in its proper place, shut the cabinet and sealed it with magic before turning back to Heather.

Heather raised an eyebrow as she watched him place a hair in a vial with another and the two hairs glowed, but she dared not ask what he had just done, she'd rather not know.

"The dishes too, dearie." He reminded her with a giggle.

"Very well..." After she finished cleaning the table and dishes, and finished any other necessary chores, she went back to check on the woman leaving Rumpelstiltskin to busy himself with…whatever it was that he did, only hearing his pleased giggles behind her.

**Author's Note:**

**Everything is coming around full circle! Oh just you wait until the next chapter, it was incredibly heart-breaking for me to write so hopefully you know that means it's going to be GOOD! Happy reading!**


	13. Chapter 13: The Thing You Love Most

**Author's Note:**

**And here we go! The BIG chapter that can either be the end, or the beginning? Who knows? *evil laugh* But yeah, much feels on this one, VERY difficult for me to write but I hope you enjoy it anyway.**

Alexandre tousled about restlessly in his sleep, tossing and turning as though he were being attacked by a phantom foe. Suddenly, without warning, he awoke with a start; shooting up to a sitting position and immediately regretting it as a dull ache began to spread from his spine across his appendages. This floor was obviously not made for comfort whilst sleeping, and the pile of straw was little better in providing any bedding.

Alexandre rubbed at his temple, trying to will away the feeling of tiredness that still clung onto him. He tried to recollect what he had been dreaming about. Something horrible enough to prematurely wake him, but his wits were in a muddle as he tried to recall all of his faculties.

Then he remembered, suddenly, as if a bucket of cold water was upturned on his head. It was about home...about Alice...

XXX

_Many years ago..._

_Wonderland, a haven for the outlandish and the strange: where everything was topsy-turvy and downside-up. The colors of the land were vibrant and bright, with little to no darks or grays present anywhere. The roads were colored a garish yellow, the skies a bright celeste color, and the overgrown fungi that populated the land being colored varying shades of orange and red, riddled with white polka dots._

_Off in a clearing leftways from Whatswhere was an especially tall mushroom, refurbished into a small, modest, yet comfortable-looking home. A quaint wooden door marked the entrance at the base of the stem where two windows occupied either side. A single window was placed at the cap, along with a small stone chimney, dutifully puffing out smoke._

_A small pond sat at one end of the clearing, populated by lily pads and an array of Wonderland's fauna that enjoyed the wet, soggy conditions that life at court never seemed to appeal to._

_The inside of the mushroom looked decent enough, the main room functioning as a sitting room, kitchen, and dining room all jumbled into one. A tiny hearth provided a refulgent glow to the otherwise dim lighting. A wooden table, large enough for two was placed in the center of the room, a single candle at the center. In the corner was a single bed with a splintered frame, the matting made of straw. A winding staircase lined the inner wall of the mushroom, leading up to another closed door where the stem met the cap; most likely another bedroom._

_At the modest dining table is where he sat, at this time no older than six-and-twenty. He was no highborn man, by any standard but attempted to look as regaled as he dare for his birth and income, wearing a black corduroy frock coat that obviously looked worn with gray pinstripe trousers, an olive green tweed waistcoat with a worn white-and-brown cravat, and a pair of dusty leather shoes._

_He had a single hand cupped around his slightly scruffy chin, blue eyes closed as he lost himself in thought. It was quite obvious something was on his mind._

_He was interrupted, however, by the creaking of the hinges from the door upstairs, preceding light, slightly hurried footsteps coming down the steps. A young girl appeared at the bottom, wearing a simple dress and apron fit for a milkmaid or washerwoman. But her dog-eared clothing did little to mask her beauty. A young lass of fourteen, it was quite apparent that her beauty would only increase in scale as she got older. Her hair, which naturally curled at the base was colored a chestnut brown color, offsetting her rather pale skin. Her eyes were colored grey as a winter sky and a warm look was quite apparent as her thin lips curled into a smile._

_"You've been quiet." The young girl commented as she strolled over to where Alexandre sat, seating herself in the vacant chair near him. "Usually I hear you rehearsing your act from upstairs." She added, though not unkindly. "Cat got your tongue?" She asked playfully, a sportive gleam in her eyes as she spoke._

_"No, no..." Alexandre responded, seemingly only half-paying attention. "Just thinking up ideas for tonight's show." He added, cocking his head sideways to look at her. "I need to add something...exciting to tonight's act. I need all the money I can get; especially if I want to get the White Rabbit off our back with this month's taxes." He said, sounding tired and weary, but still warm enough._

_"You'll do fine, trust me." The girl reassured genuinely, placing one small, smooth hand atop his. "You're the best illusionist in Wonderland. Before you know it, you'll be performing your show in front of the Queen!" Though every inhabitant either hated or feared the Queen of Hearts, her name held great sway throughout the land, and being called to an audience and surviving the encounter was a great feat for any mummer or magician._

_"Oh, the Queen, eh? That'll be the day." Alexandre replied coyly with a small chuckle, playing along with the girl's game. "You do enjoy your fantasies, Alice." He started, rising from his seat. "Even in a place such as Wonderland you manage to keep your head in the clouds." He added with a smirk._

_"I consider it a talent." Alice replied, without skipping a beat. "Besides, how else would you get ideas for your show?" She added-on with a wink._

_"Ok, ok, fair enough." Alexandre held his hands up in defeat, giving up. "Now then, I need to head to market to pick up a few things for dinner tonight before the show. Hopefully I won't run into Rabbit..." He said, his voice becoming less cheery. The White Rabbit was decent enough, for a rabbit. Unless you owed him a debt. Though physically unimposing, the Rabbit was persistent and minding, always hounding on citizens to pay their taxes on time. He spoke with the Queen's authority, and anyone who was found harassing, attacking, or otherwise bullying the Rabbit was taken swiftly and beheaded._

_"Don't be gone long!" Alice said as Alexandre headed towards the front door. "I can help you rehearse your act once you get back home!"_

_Alexandre offered only a small smile in return before leaving the large mushroom._

_Once outside and away from prying eyes, Alexandre reached into the confines of his coat, pulling out a clear, corked bottle filled a quarter-way with a teal colored liquid. Around the cork at the neck of the bottle was a small label with "Drink Me" written in small, tight cursive._

_Alexandre plucked the cork from the opening and took a swig from the bottle, his face pinched as the liquid seemed to pop and fizzle in the back of his throat._

_He inconspicuously plugged the cork back on the bottle and hid it once again in his coat before leaving, feeling slightly warmer and dizzier than he had before._

XXX

Alexandre shook his head hurriedly, as if to clear the dream. But it was more than a dream: it was a flashback, a recollection. As if he was witnessing fragments of his own life playing out in front of him. Though he had never particularly loved Wonderland, it was still his home, and he was at relative peace there...with Alice.

He could do no more now than think on his past and current actions. The inconsistent _drip_ of water leaking onto the stone floor was both an annoyance and a comfort. He closed his eyes, and waited for nothing.

XXX

It had all happened so quickly. She was standing with Red and the man then she was locked up in a cage, heading out of the village towards a place she had never been. One thing was for sure, the hair pin did stop Belle from losing herself. She knew the distinct scent of every rose and although she held her breath and covered her nose when she passed by the cursed pink roses, once her favorite, nothing happened. There was a slight moment of discomfort but that was it. The hair pin, unlike the Queen's facade was genuine. What her reasons were for giving it to Belle slipped the beauty's mind. Perhaps she just needed to subdue Belle long enough to get what she wanted. That seemed about right for the Queen.

In her mind Belle was confused, several thoughts and emotions running through her head. Perhaps it was better for her to be locked up by The Evil Queen, it would be safer for others. On the other hand Belle was angry, the Queen had spewed lies, told her about how Gaston would've wanted this or that, just to convince Belle to go.

By the time Regina's carriage reached her castle, the sun had begun to sink below the horizon, however due to the various landscape of mountains and hills settling behind Regina's Castle, it caused the area to look much later in the evening than it really was.

Torches had already been lit as a welcoming beacon, lining the castle walls as far as the eye could see, casting an ambient orange glow in the darkness and causing even the most still of shadows to flicker eerily every so often.

Regina stepped gracefully out of her carriage, minding the small puddle of water to the right and headed directly to the carriage behind her to ensure that her 'guest' had arrived in one piece.

The Count, who had exited Regina's carriage before she had, hurried over to the welcoming guards and took one of their torches as to light the way for his Queen, and bounded to her side so Regina could get a good look inside of the cage.

"Guards!" Regina called in a snappy tone, getting the immediate attention of all those around her, though the guards tending to the carriage and horses knew better than to stop their duties, as there were other guards that were available to assist their Queen.

"We have a guest." Her voice mellowed out once she had a handful of guards at her immediate side, all of which were garbed in their usual black armor that was trademarked throughout all The Enchanted Forest as 'The Queen's Men.' Two of these guards also withheld a torch, amplifying the given light so that Regina no longer had to squint to see Belle inside the cage.

"Put her down in the cells for now, I will deal with her once I've settled myself in."

The guards clambered to the cage as Regina raised her hand to unlock the seal of magic.

"Careful," Regina warned. "Rumpelstiltskin didn't create the curse for _her_. There's no telling what might happen..." A small smile split Regina's blood red lips, taking a minute to think on the chaos that would ensue _if_ Belle somehow _did_ manage to turn back into a beast. All the screaming and bloodshed of her men, fighting with their lives to protect their Queen...only for Regina to simply wave her wrist to subdue the creature with magic. There was a reason she was Queen; and oftentimes Regina liked to revel in the fact that she controlled absolutely everything in The Enchanted Forest.

Belle didn't fight the guards, she easily could have but she was lost in her thoughts and sea of emotions. They pushed and pulled her, roughly forcing her through the castle and eventually to her cell. Tossing her in the cell door was slammed shut and Belle was left alone in her thoughts. She still had the red cloak wrapped around her body. It saddened her to see it but also gave her a small glimmer of comfort. Sitting against the wall Belle brought her knees up and lowered her head as she sighed.

Hours ticked by, and the only changes Belle would see from her cell were the occasional guard-post change. Until finally, Regina descended down the staircase, her black dress billowing behind her with each and every step, her heels clacking resounding off the empty, cold stone walls.

She pushed past the main guard stationed outside Belle's cell without even so much as looking at him, her dark eyes trained on her caged 'pet' with a white smile warm on her lips.

"Oh, don't tell me they didn't give you something appropriate to wear!" Regina said stopping in front of the cell bars, noticing the red cloak that she hugged to herself tightly to keep some sort of dignity in the situation. She raised her right hand a few inches out in front of her, her fingers sticking between the bars ever so slightly, and moved her hand up and down. Her fingertips were tickled in a soft white, and then it was gone, and Belle would find a simple, dirty-white gown beneath the red cloak.

"There, now we can be friends." Regina said optimistically, keeping her smile all the while and dropping her hand back to her side.

Belle looked down at the dirty dress then up at the Queen. She held onto the cloak tightly as she ignored the voice of the other woman, bringing her gaze back down to the stone floor. She chose not to respond. She really had nothing to say, although she was curious as to why the Queen wanted her locked up but she would probably be told more lies. The beauty found it pointless to say anything.

Regina's smile faltered only slightly, disappointed that she wouldn't be given the opportunity to hear the whining and complaining she usually got when she abducted someone and threw them in her prison.

"I can guess that you're wondering why I brought you here; why I...took you away from your friends and home..." Regina started, figuring that the only way to get through to this girl was to be straight-forward. Not as fun, but she could still pull some strings with it and make her puppet dance.

"As chance would have it-" Regina let her smile fall completely, her voice dropping to that of seriousness as she pulled off her black gloves, one at a time, finger by finger. "-I need your help."

Belle scowled at the woman as she looked up at her. Of course she wanted to know why she was here, locked up like some sort of criminal or animal.

"Why can't you just leave me be? There's not much help I can be to you." She clenched her jaw and sighed. "Besides…I refuse to help you. You bring nothing but pain, anger and hatred to others. Things I do not stand for…unlike you." She muttered the last part,

Regina let out a cruel laugh and shook her head no slightly.

"So, you really won't help me then?" She asked in a knowing tone. "Even if it involves the well-being of your dear Rumpelstiltskin?"

The name caught her attention and Belle looked up rather quickly. Her jaw was tightly clenched as she looked at the woman. She was lying, she couldn't harm Rumpelstiltskin, no one could.

"You can't bring any harm to Rumpelstiltskin." Belle stated simply, knowing that he was the most powerful being in all the lands.

Regina put her hands on the bars in front of her and brought her face closer to Belle, her wicked smile returning.

"Can't I?" She challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Belle lifted herself up rather quickly. The red cloak falling to the floor as she approached the bars and gripped them tightly just moments before Regina retracted herself from her position so close to the cell. Belle's grip on the bars was tight, tight enough to make the thick metal groan as she glared at the woman. "Nobody can harm him and he certainly won't let you even approach him. He'd kill you within a second." Belle practically snarled at the woman.

Again, Regina shook her head but the smile returned on her lips, amused by the petite girl's reaction.

"I'm inflicting a curse upon all of the Enchanted Forest; it will affect everyone...send them all to a place where I can finally have my happy ending. Everything will be as I want it, exactly. That includes the monster you're so fond of. If I've learned anything from Rumpel, it's that all magic has its price, and I paid it in full." By the time Regina had finished speaking, her serious tone grew more and more vengeful, her face giving way to the fact that she had indeed undergone some amount of suffering but her eyes held that of hope.

"He is not a monster. He has more honor and dignity than you do and you call yourself a queen." Belle practically spat at Regina.

Clearing her throat, Regina flicked her wrist in Belle's general direction. A small amount of thick purple smoke formulated just behind Belle, growing taller and taller until suddenly, it was gone; and in its wake was a full-length mirror, reflecting Belle and Regina's bodies back at them. Belle followed the motion of Regina's hand and watched the mirror appear. What was she trying to pull this time? The Queen's voice brought Belle's gaze back to her.

"Rumpel's known about my little curse, he _gave_ it to me, helped me perfect it even, but the little _imp_ is starting to put his business where it doesn't belong. He can't stop the curse; nothing can, and he knows that." Regina stopped to scoff. "He thinks that by reuniting Snow and Charming; it will somehow ruin my happy ending. True, it does put a slight damper to my plan, but what he doesn't realize is just how much of his life I have in my hands with this curse, and it will all be for nothing once I separate the two love-birds once again..."

Belle grit her teeth as she listened to The Queen unravel her plan. What did this curse entitle, what would it bring upon everyone? Villain's didn't deserve happy endings, Regina chose her path, she shouldn't be allowed to change it.

Again, Regina flicked her wrist and the glass of the mirror began to wobble and pulse, like a still lake that had been disturbed by a large object thrown into it. The image of Regina and Belle became more and more unclear, until a new image began to appear as the mirror's glass began to become still once more.

It was like looking through a window. The grand double doors of Rumpelstiltskin's Dining Hall were straight ahead, at the angle as if Regina and Belle were right there in the room. The doors suddenly opened by magic and Rumpelstiltskin himself walked through them, shutting them with a wave of his hand behind him. He seemed completely unaware of the two pairs of eyes on him, and briskly walked to the large dining room table that stood completely empty aside from two place settings on the opposite side, being cleared away by another woman both Regina and Belle didn't recognize.

Belle watched, who was this woman? Why was she in Rumpel's castle? She dropped her hands from the thick bars that had been slightly dented now. Why did her heart hurt? She wasn't meant to be with him…Obviously she wasn't he had met another, he had moved on just as she had. There was no reason for her to feel like this, but she did, it was a horrible feeling and she couldn't shake it. Swallowing passed the lump in her throat she let out a shaky sigh. Regina's voice catching her attention once again, but she did not face her this time.

"I need him here, in my castle; trapped and-" Regina sighed, trying to make her words benefit her cause. "-_safe_ while the curse hits. I have to ensure that he doesn't do anything stupid to try and stop me. You _do_ want him safe, don't you?" Regina's eyes never left Belle, gauging her every breath, her every movement. It was clear that Belle still had feelings for her prior master; how far those feelings went, Regina didn't know. All she knew was that Belle's kind heart would be her undoing, all it would take would be just the slightest amount of empathy for Rumpelstiltskin, and Regina was determined to use that against her.

Belle sniffled slightly, wiping away the single tear that formed. It wasn't fair for her to still feel like this.

"He doesn't need you to keep him safe. He's more than capable of doing that himself." Clenching her jaw she walked away from the front of the cell, and the window like magic mirror. Lifting the red cloak off the ground she sat down once again, her back against a corner as she draped the cloak over herself, keeping her head low, trying to ignore anything else that Regina would attempt to say or convince Belle to do.

A muscle in Regina's jaw tightened to the point where her teeth began to grind together. This girl was proving to be much more of a pain in the ass than she had initially intended. Without hesitation, Regina swung her arm outwards, the magic she held mirroring her movements and crashing Belle's head against the stone wall she had been leaning against. It wasn't hard enough to cause any _real_ damage, just enough to get the point across that Regina was going to get her way no matter what she said.

"CALL FOR HIM!" With her free hand, Regina waved it in the direction of the mirror. Nothing physically changed about the it, the only thing noticeable was a slight echo in the sounds coming from The Dark Castle as Rumpelstiltskin set himself down at the table, scribbling on a piece of parchment with an ink quill with his back now to the mirror.

Belle grunted as she hit the wall hard enough to hurt. Slowly the brunette pushed herself up as she glared at the woman. The back of her head throbbed, her mid back aching slightly. The girl simply sat back down in her corner. Taking the red cloak in her hands once again and wrapping it around herself. She wasn't going to give in to the Queen's way. No matter what she did.

Regina stepped out of the immediate view of the mirror, smiling slightly as an idea formed in her mind. It was risky, she hadn't used this particular curse in a while and it could very well destroy Belle, but she was determined to get Rumpelstiltskin here by any means necessary, and then after that, Belle would be of no more use to her.

Regina held out both hands, each mirroring the other and created a small circle with her fingers, the center of it being Belle and let the magic flow, straight into Belle like a silent killer.

It came out of nowhere, a sudden explosion of pain starting from the beauty's core. She clutched at her stomach tightly, the pain grew more evident with every passing second. She didn't scream, she held back. Belle didn't want to give Regina the satisfaction of her pain. Tossing the red cloak aside she winced. It felt like her insides were twisting as the pain slowly began to ripple outwards.

She was now on hands and knees, muscle's taught as the first wince escaped the pained girl. Belle lowered herself slightly, eyes beginning to water, holding back the screams was starting to become more difficult, her body slowly starting to tremble. She shook her head to herself. She wouldn't give in, she couldn't give in. She groaned, it sounded more like an irritated growl. Lifting her head she glared at Regina, eyes beginning to glow, a loud sudden scream escaped her. She struggled to keep herself up.

Looking down at her hand she watched the veins protrude under her skin. Slowly it travelled up her arm, neck and the side of her face. Another scream escaped her as tears began to over flow and stream down her face. She clenched her hands into fists, a loud irritating squeal echoing through the dungeon. Looking down she saw the blood pooled around her finger nails, sleek black claws in their place. Her expression grew worried for a moment, but another wave of pain took over with another scream following. She quickly glanced at Regina, eyes still glowing before she looked back down at the stone floor.

Belle's body was soon forced to the ground, on its side, back towards The Evil Queen.

Rumpelstiltskin's body immediately stiffened, and he sat there like a statue for a good few moments until he heard another whimper of pain. This time, he _knew_ he had heard it. Practically flying from his chair and knocking it over in the process, Rumpelstiltskin made a direct beeline towards the mirror that he had kept covered until that very day. His heart immediately stopped, and then fell into his stomach as he saw Belle before him, on the other side of the mirror, clawing and groaning out in pain on a cold stone floor.

"Belle?" His voice was soft, quiet even, though he wasn't addressing her directly. It was more of a question of what he was seeing. It wasn't until he heard Regina's cold laugh that his blood began to boil hot, and though he couldn't see her, he knew she had to have been the one causing this. After all, this _was_ her mirror.

Regina, meanwhile, kept out of the view of the mirror, noticing Belle attempting to undergo her transformation. She laughed cruelly once more and brought one hand out of the spell, using it now to force another spell upon Belle to keep her body the way it was.

"Just tell him what we want dear, and it will all go away..." Regina cooed.

"You FILTHY BITCH!" Rumpelstiltskin screamed at the mirror, unable to tear his eyes away from Belle but hearing Regina as clear as if she were in the room standing next to him. "**Let...her...go...**"

Belle groaned again as she panted, veins still protruded and whatever changes had taken place stayed as they were. It wasn't much, claws and fangs had lengthened, the slightest changes in her size as the dirty white dress seemed tighter. The sides of her head throbbed, blood trickling down from the horns that were intending to sprout out. Slowly she forced herself to hands and knees, a low growl escaping her, her teeth set, face red from holding in all the screams and pain. It wasn't going to happen. She wouldn't speak, she wouldn't do what she was told by The Evil Queen even if the pain killed her. Belle didn't betray or ever wish to cause harm to anyone close to her, and Rumplestiltskin was dangerously close.

She reached for the wall and tried to bring herself up but the pain only got worse as she screamed in agony, dropping to her side she curled herself up, hopeful that it would ease the pain, even in the slightest.

"Oh come now, he really can't be worth all this trouble can he?" Regina taunted, using her magic to slam Belle back down onto the cold stone floor once again, making Belle's unfathomable effort all for naught. She forced the magic keeping Belle's body intact even more-so on her, adding to the pain as her muscles and joints were being forced down to their small size when every bit of Belle's body wanted the exact opposite.

"Regina!" Rumpelstiltskin wasn't shouting, he was beyond that. Instead, the cool, collected anger he held in his voice was five times more frightening then when he did shout, even causing goose bumps to crawl up Regina's arm.

The beauty couldn't move, she was pinned and there was nothing she could do about it. Tears streamed down her face as she sniffled between the pained grunts and winces. What a horrible woman Regina truly was. Belle tightly shut her eyes and tried to breathe through the pain.

"Oh Rumpel…what I do for you…" The words were barely whispers, and broken apart by gasps and groans of pain. Belle remained confused. She was supposed to love Gaston, not Rumpelstiltskin. True love was a mutual thing, it wasn't something that only one could feel. Rumpel had told her that she loved Gaston, not him, which meant that he didn't love her. Although the pain still flowed through her body, her thoughts seemed to silence everything that surrounded her.

Rumpelstiltskin extended out his hand, as if trying to touch the image of Belle through the mirror but his fingers were blocked by the glass. His arm began to shake, and his green complexion became steadily pale.

"No...n-n-n-no..no no no! Stop!" He pleaded, getting down onto his knees on the floor before his mirror and getting on a level closer to Belle's.

Regina, able to see Rumpelstiltskin from where she was, laughed and stepped into view. Rumpelstiltskin's dark eyes immediately went to The Evil Queen. His whole body seemed to be trembling now, fully aware of what sort of trap Regina had Belle in, and what it could do. He shook his head no, lower lip quivering with fright shining in his eyes.

"We need to talk Rumpel. And since you're a stubborn as _she_ is-" Regina pushed forth another wave of excruciating pain through Belle's body.

Still unable to move all Belle could do was tightly shut her eyes and whimper. It felt as if there was a ton of stone on her back, slowly pushing down against her bones, waiting to just give way and shatter.

"-I simply had no other choice..." Regina finished, smirking at the sight of her mentor in complete shambles, on his knees before her.

"Stop! Please, just stop!" Rumpelstiltskin pleaded with her once more. He could only rely on his own memories to remember what pain Belle was going through, and he supposed that the pressure building up in his own chest could be relatable; definitely much worse than the time he felt anything remotely this painful; when he had forced Belle away from his castle. "I'll come, I swear, just please, no more..."

Regina split into a wider grin and let lose the spell that had been taking control over Belle's body, however the spell keeping her from transforming lingered.

"You've got ten minutes Imp, or she dies." Regina spat, but before she could even get her last word out, Rumpelstiltskin was gone in a puff of blood red smoke.

"GUARDS!" Regina snapped, ignoring the fact that the mirror went completely rigid and back to reflecting their bodies back to them. Count Roland, who had just arrived in the cells rushed to Regina quickly, and another guard quickly in tow. If at all possible, Regina's grin grew wider as she looked back into the cage at Belle, glad that finally...all that effort had paid off.

XXX

Alexandre's eyes shot open abruptly as the sound of the dungeon door opened. An assemblage of boot-clad feet clamored down the stairs. This was more than the usual regiment. This realization only meant one thing: The Queen was here…

Alexandre inconspicuously crawled towards one corner of the cell, hoping no one would pay him any attention – _especially_ not Regina. Under normal circumstances, Alexandre would have most likely taunted the Evil Queen with a clever jape or two and then teleport on his merry way, but now he was vulnerable. As the clanking of footsteps grew quieter, Alexandre released a breath he didn't realize he was holding: they hadn't come for him.

Alexandre folded his legs, pressing one ear against the damp wall in hopes of hearing anything of interest. Besides, there was nothing else to do to pass the time, one has to make his own fun.

He first heard the sound of a cell door opening; strange. It wasn't normal for Regina to release prisoners out of the goodness of her heart. He heard an exchange of voices, the unmistakable voice of the Queen's being haughty and cruel. The other was young and determined, brave or stupid enough to take such a tone with Regina.

It wasn't long before the simple conversation transformed from a conversation to something much darker. The voice of the brave-stupid woman turned into a bloodcurdling scream of utter agony as she was brought down by extreme pain, no doubt one of Regina's dark spells.

Alexandre felt his eyebrows furrow as the insufferable screaming continued. Torture was one thing; that was expected by one as loathsome as Regina. But this was a complete lack of humanity as the torment seemed to go on for eternity. The screams echoing off the stone walls into Alexandre's ears, enough to make him wince, as if he could feel the pain itself; this torture was too much for anyone to handle. He clasped his hands over his ears and hoped the noises would just go _away_.

The Queen then called for her guards, and there was another few moments of shuffling as the sound of the cell door was being opened and then closed again, a pair of footsteps ascending the staircase and back up into the castle.

There was a tap on Alexandre's shoulder, and as Alexandre turned to face what he was sure was his imagination playing tricks on him again, Rumpelstiltskin let up a somewhat forced, half-smile as if to say 'hello,' although the usual quip in his demeanor had completely vanished, the remains of the blood red smoke quickly dissipating behind him.

"**You!?**" Alexandre snarled in a mixture of surprise and anger, quickly jumping to his feet. Though the spite was clear in his voice, the look in his eyes was that of wariness and a small essence of fear. "What could you _possibly_ want from me now?" He hissed, staring daggers at the Imp who had just not long ago ripped his heart out.

Rumpelstiltskin let out a short sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, letting the hairless cat babble on for a bit before raising his hand and pinching his thumb and pointer finger together, thus creating a temporary charm that kept Alexandre's mouth shut.

"I came to apologize." Rumpelstiltskin began, tentatively poking his head between the bars as best as he could to see if he could spot Regina and then pulled himself back into the cell with the hairless cat. "It seems I sent you to the wrong imprisonment..." Rumpelstiltskin turned back to face Alexandre, a sly grin coming across his face as he grabbed onto Alexandre's upper arms with each hand, holding him tightly in place. "Do you remember our little deal?" He asked, his voice nearly squeaking towards the end.

Alexandre's facial expressions performed the job his mouth would have, narrowing in confusion at Rumpelstiltskin's apology, then glowering as he mentioned the deal. He tried somewhat to pull away as Rumpelstiltskin grabbed his arms, but relinquished in just a few moments.

In response to the Imp's question, he nodded subtly, acknowledging the deal.

"Good." Rumpelstiltskin let one hand go from Alexandre's arm and extended his hand outwards, a folded up square piece of parchment materializing in his hand. Rumpelstiltskin took the folded up parchment and took it upon himself to tuck it into Alexandre's vest jacket pocket and patted the area for good measure, followed by another one of his short giggles. "I'm cashing in."

Then, without enough time for Alexandre to even blink, Alexandre was encased with a thick amount of purple smoke and was promptly removed from The Evil Queen's jail cell.

Taking a minute to adjust the black dragon-hide vest he was wearing, Rumpelstiltskin pushed his hand outward and blew the cell door off its hinges with magic before stepping out into the isle, clear as day for Regina to see.

Regina immediately squared herself off in the direction the blast came from, a ball of flickering fire appearing in her hand by instinct, however when she saw Rumpelstiltskin walking with a purpose towards her, she let the flame diminish into nothing and crossed her arms over her arguably inappropriately exposed bosom.

"Belle...where is she? I swear to God Regina I'll-" Rumpelstiltskin closed the distance between the two rather quickly, but Regina didn't budge and instead took a moment to examine her nails from the position they were folded on her.

"Relax Imp, she's still alive...for now. So long as you cooperate." Regina replied coolly.

Rumpelstiltskin took a side-step across Regina so that he was finally able to look into the cell where Belle was located, immediately feeling tears welling up in his eyes as he looked down upon her unconscious body on the stone floor, no doubt her body had given up on his way here. He took a minute to close his eyes and breathe in deeply. She was unconscious; yes, but still alive.

"What do you want?" He practically spat at Regina, never letting his eyes off of Belle. Regina simply nodded to the remaining guard. With a light huff, the guard opened up the cell door and stepped inside, pulling Belle to her feet. Rumpelstiltskin took an instinctive step forward when the Beauty let out a slight whimper in protest, but Regina held her arm out firm to keep him from getting any closer.

The guard walked Belle out of the cell, apparently she wasn't quite unconscious yet, but startlingly close. He made brief eye contact with Belle before Regina spoke again.

"Get in, Imp."

Rumpelstiltskin looked away from Belle and shot Regina a sideways glance.

"Get. In. We both know you have something planned. I know you helped Charming find Snow, but it never ends with you does it?" Regina continued.

"That? That's what this is all about?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, turning up his hands in question. Regina only glared at him coldly and Rumpelstiltskin took the initiative to put himself in the cell.

"Wait...not that one..." Regina suddenly said, causing Rumpelstiltskin to roll his eyes and followed the direction of Regina's glance towards a peculiar looking cell that seemed to be made out of pikes instead of iron bars.

"So you finally managed to build it..." Rumpelstiltskin walked from the current cell to the other, waiting for Regina to open it up before he stepped inside. Regina closed it up tight and smiled, finally content and feeling a huge amount of weight being lifted off of her shoulders.

"The curse, I have the final ingredient. Now what do I do?"

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes glanced over to Belle for a moment, his heart slightly fluttering as she began to stir a little more into alertness. Good, she was going to be okay. He placed his hands on the wooden pikes serving as bars, pressing his face in-between them to speak to Regina directly.

"There's a price..." He began, but Regina cut him off directly.

"What do you want?" She asked, initially expecting that.

"In this new life...I want comfort; I want a good life!"

"Fine!" Regina spat, her patience wearing thin again. "You'll have an estate; and you will be rich-"

"I wasn't finished!" Rumpelstiltskin interrupted, clear that his own patience was running thin with The Queen. "There's more!" Regina shook her head slightly.

"There always is with you..."

Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help but to crack a wide smile.

"In this new life, should I come to you for any reason...you must heed my ev-e-ry request!" He raised his arm up, pointing directly to the ceiling to accentuate his words, and then turned his hand so that his finger was pointing directly at Regina. "You must do whatever I say...so long as I say..." He paused, watching the anguish on Regina's face become more and more clear the longer he waited to finish his sentence. "...PLEASE!" He practically shouted, followed up by a breathy laugh. Regina didn't flinch.

"You do realize that should I succeed, you won't remember _any_ of this..."

Rumpelstiltskin made the face of a child being caught in the larder in the middle of the night; guilty but not so ashamed of being caught.

"Oh, well then, what's the harm?" He asked Regina with a light shrug. Regina just snickered softly.

"Deal."

Rumpelstiltskin's grin widened, threatening to crack his dry lips as he let out a soft snicker of his own.

"Drop it in." He said at last. Regina blinked, unsure of what he was talking about at first, and then it clicked.

"That's all? No written spell? No...enchantment?"

"You already did the hard part dearie, just drop it in and watch it unfold."

Regina nodded twice and backed away from the cell a few feet.

"You did it." Rumpelstiltskin said, almost sounding surprised, catching Regina off guard as she was just about ready to leave.

"That's right. I did it." She replied with an edge of pride in her voice, even more-so than what she usually carried. "And I wanted _you_ to know it, before you, like all the pathetic citizens of this wretched land forgets everything."

"How did it feel?" Rumpelstiltskin asked in reply, and watched Regina's face fall ever so slightly. "How did it feel to kill the thing that you love most?" He asked again. "R-r-r-r-r-ripping the heart out of your father?"

"It was the price of the curse!" Regina replied hotly, defending herself. "How it felt doesn't matter. You would have understood. _I took my life back_, I had to...I WON."

"And yet...here you are...feeling the need to gloat..." Rumpelstiltskin inhaled a deep breath, as if realizing something important. "Something's missing, isn't it dearie?"

"Not at all! I have everything I want! Nothing can stop me now..."

Rumpelstiltskin fell into a fit of laughter, causing Regina to step away from the cell pikes a step out of surprise. This...this was _exactly_ why Regina wanted him here; where she could keep an eye on him in a cell where he was unable to use any of his magic.

"But now there's a hole...in your heart..." He said, coming out of his fit of laughter as if it never happened. "And someday...you'll come to me to fill it..."

Regina sternly shook her head no, smirking.

"You overestimate your powers of foresight." She snapped coldly.

"AND YOU UNDERESTIMATE THE PRICE OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

Regina glared at him coldly. Just what was he playing at now?

"You shall see you will come to me-" Rumpelstiltskin sang, wagging his finger along to the beat. "-there is more you need! Oh!" He popped off with an amused grin.

"Your taunts will get you nowhere!" Regina snapped once again, feeling her blood beginning to boil and her skin beginning to crawl. He was bluffing; he had to be, that's all he had left. "I know you too well...you wanna make another deal..." She observed, and then pressed her own face against the pike bars, causing Rumpelstiltskin to back up this time. "WELL I WON'T!"

"A deal?" He laughed, genuinely amused this time. "You already promised me a good life in this new land. What more could I want...from you?" He asked, pointing at her again.

"Oh..." Regina started. "...to be let out of this cage? To...be let out of our last deal? To escape the curse?" She tried, as if tantalizing him with the idea. Rumpelstiltskin tiled his head to the side slightly.

"But why would I desire that dearie? I'm _exactly_ where I want to be..."

This took Regina totally by surprise. Just what the _HELL_ did he mean by that? Furrowing her eyebrows, Regina backed away from the cell once more and walked over to her guard and Belle, and turned her head towards Rumpelstiltskin.

"I agreed she stay safe while you did as you were told, but now that I no longer have things to tell you to do, that deal is up." She said sternly, and looked back at Belle, plunging her hand into Belle's chest, wrist deep.

Even in her weakened state, Belle let out a sharp gasp of breath and collapsed to her hands and knees as soon as Regina removed her hand, Belle's heart beating wildly inside of it. Rumpelstiltskin's eyes snapped wide open and instinctively moved his arms to put a magic hold on Regina, however The Evil Queen simply laughed as she spotted this and squeezed down hard on Belle's heart, causing Belle to gasp out for breath once again.

"Did you forget already? You are MINE Rumpel, at now at least I can have the satisfaction of the look on your face when I have finally beaten you at your own game.

"NO!"

Regina gave the heart one last squeeze, clenching the heart in her palm and fingertips as hard as she possibly could until little beads of what looked like a mixture of sand and dirt began to trickle from her hands, rendering the helpless Belle completely motionless.

"BELLE! **BELLE!** Rumpelstiltskin grabbed at the pike bars, willing to break them apart with his own strength but the bars refused to submit. Regina tossed her head back and laughed, letting what was left of Belle's crushed heart fall to the ground at Rumpelstiltskin's feet.

"I would love to stay and chat Rumpel, but I've got a curse to put into motion." With a white, flashy smile, Regina disappeared into a sudden appearance of thin, black mist, her laugh continuing to echo through the dungeon.

**Author's Note:**

**So many sad feels! Agh this chapter killed me! I'm such a hardcore Rumbelle shipper! It's okay if you hate me a little bit, that means I did my job well haha. Anyway, one last chapter before the prologue is complete. Is it everything you had hoped? ;)**


	14. Chapter 14: Storybrooke

**Author's Note:**

**Last chapter of the prologue everyone! A bit boring I know, but just you wait until Book 1 begins, I don't think you will be disappointed (and you will also realize why this prologue was so important). Happy Reading! And hope to see you in this story's continuation.**

**Belle: Well you're just gonna have to read the next book to find out now won't you? ;) Thanks for the review dearie 3**

Regina's eyes snapped open. For a moment, she didn't know where she was, or what that strange smell was. It wasn't a bad smell, but it certainly wasn't the smell of cold stone walls and metal armor decorating the walls anymore. In her brief moment of panic, her memory finally snapped the pieces together.

She was in a bed; not a lavish four-posted bed like in her castle, but somehow, this Queen-sized bed tucking Regina in with fine down-feather blankets in her silky blue pajama suit was even better than that. The ceiling above her was painted white, as were the walls around her, all decorated with bright, fun paintings of outdoor scenes and modern art that really fit the room nicely together.

Regina sat up slowly in her new bed, looking around her large bedroom noticing first-hand the carpet that her feet made contact with as they hit the floor.

_"No more stone cold floors..." _Regina thought, kneading the carpet in between her toes.

There were dressers, lamps, plants...even a walk-in closet! All these things foreign to her in their new modern style, and yet, everything felt so...so right. Regina tossed aside the down-feather blanket and gripped at her hair, immediately realizing how short it was now. A smell sense of feeling overwhelmed coming over her from all these new sights, sounds and smells. She pushed herself to her feet, a faint, unbelieving smile on her face as she walked to the window and pulled apart the white lace curtains to take her first look outside.

Regina inhaled sharply a few times, taking in the scene before her. There were roofs, chimneys, building upon building but they were all constructed entirely different, and out of the materials that made so much more sense than the ones they used to build things back at home. Looking down on the streets she saw people walking about, talking amongst one another as they passed each other along and waved a friendly 'hello' to those who drove by in their vehicles.

"I did it..." Regina said out loud to herself, hoping that by saying it, it would seem more real. She took a few steps backwards, voicing her thoughts once more. "I won..." A broad, genuine grin crossed her features as she bounded from the window and to the walk-in closet, throwing open the door and rummaging through her new wardrobe. Everything seemed so perfect, so pristine...so...HER!

She picked off a sassy, yet still modest looking black dress and went to the full length mirror, pressing up the new article of clothing up to her to see just how something so new and strange would look on her, unable to hug herself around her middle with one of her arms in a warm, self-hug.

Seeing Storybrooke from the outside was one thing, but this was something that Regina _definitely_ had to experience for real. After getting dressed and throwing on a black with white trimmed coat, Regina took her first steps outside into the new place that would forever become her home.

The walk down the sidewalk was a breeze, and Regina, despite her best efforts was unable to keep the stupid grin off her face. She passed by shop after shop, eventually coming to the clock-tower that was the key center of Storybrooke. She stopped to take a quick look up at the clock, noticing the time at 8:15. She then took this moment to breathe in the new air, pulling in the city into her lungs and then exhaling it back out, then began walking again.

Across the way, she spotted a man walking the opposite direction heavily using a cane. Regina had to do a double take, but she was sure that she had just past Rumpelstiltskin, but he looked different. Not too much, but his skin and entire complexion had changed. No longer The Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin looked as if he would before taking the power of the dagger.

No-not Rumpelstiltskin. What was the name she gave him again? He wanted to be rich, and quite powerful within the city, she remembered it having to do something with that. Oh yes! Mr. Gold. Without the use of magic, Rumpel-uh, Mr. Gold, was forced to live with his injury from the Ogre's war.

This was absolutely incredible! He didn't even pass her a second glance despite Regina ripping the heart out of that stubborn girl just moments ago. She continued watching, following with her eyes as Mr. Gold walked past an elderly man on a ladder, fixing up a sign. Geppetto. But here, he was Marco, and he was fixing up the sign that advertised his toy shop.

"That should hold you." Marco said to himself, coming down off the ladder. Regina had lost sight of Mr. Gold, but for once, she didn't care, and continued on walking.

"I can not believe you put me on the early shift!" A female voice reached Regina's ears, and as she looked forward she could see a tall, slender young woman arguing with an older woman as the older woman brought out the sign for 'Granny's Diner.'

"It's not my fault you stayed out all night." Granny replied to the scantily clothed young woman. Even Regina had to admit, those red shorts were far too short for her taste, even if the big red coat she wore over her bikini-style red shirt attempted at covering _some_ of her up. "When I put 'over-easy' on the menu, I was talking about the eggs!" Granny snapped, and stormed back inside, Red, now known as Ruby, following her Granny in hot pursuit, obviously unfinished with their squabble.

"Morning Madam Mayor!" A cheery voice called out, pulling Regina's attention away from Ruby and Granny to see a tall, slender man with a head of curly red hair and thick circular glasses crossing her path. He was holding fast to a leash, a big dalmatian dog attached to the other end seeming like he was taking the man in the glasses for a walk instead.

_"Jimminy Cricket...no...Dr. Hopper...and Pongo..."_ Regina recited in her head.

"Good morning Cric-Dr. Hopper...!" She found her lips parting to speak with a cheery vibe to it, earning her a smile from Dr. Hopper as they crossed the street.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Dr. Hopper replied, trying to keep Pongo steady to keep the light conversation going.

"Yes..." Regina said with a smile and small giggle, watching Dr. Hopper take Pongo across to the other side at last.

_"Yes it is!_"

The curse was turning out to be working beautifully; no one recognized her! At least not as The Evil Queen Regina. Still, there was still one last thing she had to do before she was absolutely convinced that all was well. Regina continued on walking, finding that her feet carried her in the direction she needed to go, memories of this town she had never stepped foot in before starting to fill in her mind with each step she took. Eventually, she came to a small animal shelter and walked inside.

Immediately, the air was filled with obnoxious dog barking, her nose assaulted by a mixture of piss and wet dog and Regina felt her fingers instinctively twitch as to bring in magic and shut them up and air out the place, but just as quickly relaxed her hand once more.

_"No. No this is a new start Regina. Besides, there's no magic here..._"

A man stepped out from the back room and went behind the counter, having been alerted to the presence of a customer by the sounds of dogs barking and gave Regina a modest smile.

"Madam Mayor! Finally thinking of getting a cat?" Prince James asked in a teasing manner. Regina had to figure that Charming's memories had developed a lot faster than her own, since she didn't quite catch on to the - oh, there it was. Something about Mayor Mills being a very lonely woman and needing a cat for companionship.

"Refresh my memory...David..." Regina began. "...how long have you worked here?"

Prince James, now going by David, opened his mouth to answer immediately but words failed to come out of his mouth. His face changed into something of confusion, and really tried racking his brain for the answer.

"Um...I-I...I'm not sure actually...as long as I can remember?" He finally managed. Regina smiled, impressed with the power of this curse.

"Come with me." She instructed in a friendly tone, and David followed her back outside where they made the brief walk over to the hospital.

"Why are we in the hospital?" David asked inquisitively as Regina's feet led her to one of the furthest rooms. She didn't know how or why she knew that she would be there, but then again there was already a lot of that going on today already.

"Tell me..." Regina replied, walking up to the bedside of the patient and stopped to look over the woman. "...do you know her?"

As David looked over the comatose Snow White, Regina couldn't help but to watch him directly, looking for any leak; any sign at all of recognition. Just as he had before, David thought hard on the answer, racking his brain for any familiarity.

"No?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, at first unsure. "No." He then said again, more convinced this time. "Why? Is she sick?"

Regina's lips flickered into another prideful smile, deciding that now would be the best time to test implanting her own false memories into others.

"She's a Jane Doe, coma patient. No one's claimed her."

"Maybe someday she'll wake up. Maybe someday someone who loves her will find her." David shrugged with a bright edge of optimism that absolutely made Regina's stomach curl.

"That would be nice for her..." Regina agreed and then turned to face David directly. "...but I wouldn't count on it."

**Author's Note:**

**And here we are dearies! The conclusion of Once Upon a Time: The Enchanted Forest: Prologue. And finally I have the first chapter of Book 1 uploaded, so in case you haven't hit that easy clickable 'follow', here is is!  
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** s/10745181/1/Once-Upon-A-Time-Storybrooke-Book-1-The-Curse**


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